New York Yankees Listed As Candidates To Land Mets' Superstar
The New York Yankees will have an opportunity to swipe a superstar caliber slugger away from their crosstown rivals.
Mets first baseman Pete Alonso is expected to go to free agency next winter, as opposed to signing a contract extension, as team president of baseball operations David Stearns all but confirmed to reporters on Tuesday.
As a result, Bleacher Report recently made a list of potential landing spots for Alonso in free agency next year, and the Yankees were brought up as a potential suitor.
While the Yankees currently have Anthony Rizzo as their first baseman, he is coming off a season, where he was hampered by concussion-like symptoms. He also has a club option, which the Yankees can decline after this season. Not to mention, Alonso would be a major upgrade at the position.
Since entering the league in 2019, no player has hit more home runs or driven in more RBIs than Alonso. The 29-year-old has quickly emerged as one of, if not the best power-hitter in the game, and a superstar/franchise cornerstone for the Mets. And although the Mets didn't spend much this offseason, they will have a significant amount of money coming off the books in 2025, which can be allocated to keeping their young home grown star in Queens for the foreseeable future.
Alonso is an attractive option for the Yankees, but they will likely have their focus directed towards retaining another superstar in outfielder Juan Soto. The Yankees acquired Soto from the San Diego Padres back in December at the winter meetings in a blockbuster trade. Soto is entering his final year of arbitration and is also expected to test the waters in free agency, where he could draw a deal in the $500-600 million range.
Both Alonso and Soto are both star clients of super agent Scott Boras, who has completed big extensions in the past, but typically encourages his guys to bet on themselves in free agency. It sounds like each player will do so, which means the Yankees will have a shot at landing one or the other.
