Veteran first baseman appears to be drawing a lot of interest as a free agent. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Yankees, Giants, Mariners, Nationals and Mets are all engaged with him. The connections to the Yankees and Giants have been previously covered at MLBTR, as well as interest from the Tigers.
Coming into the winter, the free agent market for first basemen had various intriguing options, but their respective ages gave them different levels of earning power. As part of MLBTR’s annual ranking of the Top 50 Free Agents, Pete Alonso was the top first baseman. Now 30 years old, he was predicted for a five-year, $125MM deal. Christian Walker, who is going into his age-34 season, had a prediction of three years and $60MM. Goldschmidt, now 37, was predicted for $15MM on a one-year deal. Veterans like Justin Turner and Carlos Santana didn’t crack the list but should be in line for one-year deals as well.
Earlier today, the Astros cut out the middle of that market. Walker has reportedly agreed to sign with Houston on exactly the three-year, $60MM deal that MLBTR predicted. For clubs that are still looking for help at first base, there’s now a clear divide between the big-ticket option in Alonso, as well as several other more affordable possibilities. Alonso also rejected a qualifying offer, so he’s also tied to the associated penalties with signing such a player, which depend upon whether a club paid the competitive balance tax this year or is a revenue sharing recipient.
Regardless of how clubs feel about Alonso, some of them will just not be likely candidates to make that kind of a splash in free agency. For those that are looking to make a modest investment at first, Goldschmidt is an intriguing candidate.
As recently as 2022, Goldschmidt was one of the best players at the position. He won National League Most Valuable Player that year, hitting 35 home runs, drawing walks at a 12.1% clip and stealing seven bases. He slashed .317/.404/.578 for a wRC+ of 175 and produced 6.8 wins above replacement, per the calculations of FanGraphs.
But the last two years have been far less impressive. He had a .268/.363/.447 batting line and 122 wRC+ in 2023. In the most recent season, that was down to .245/.302/.414 and a 100 wRC+, exactly league average production. His 7.2% walk rate was the worst of his career. His 26.5% strikeout rate was a personal high, apart from his rookie debut way back in 2011.
That’s downward slope is obviously somewhat discouraging, but Goldy has a strong track record and at least finished strong in 2024. After hitting .230/.291/.373 for an 87 wRC+ in the first half, he posted a .271/.319/.480 line and 120 wRC+ in the second half. The Cardinals aren’t bringing him back as they pivot to a reset year, which involves lowering the payroll. It also means more playing time for younger players like catchers Iván Herrera and Pedro Pagés, which is pushing Willson Contreras to first base.
The Mariners are rarely huge spenders in free agency and are working with budgetary constraints this offseason, reportedly having about $15MM of wiggle room at the moment. It’s been rumored that they are considering Luis Castillo trade offers as a means of opening up some extra room, but they wouldn’t be a likely suitor even in that scenario. They are looking to add multiple infielders and a Castillo trade could perhaps leave them looking to make a rotation addition as well.
Goldschmidt fits well into their offseason plans as they are looking for a right-handed hitting veteran first baseman. They have been connected to Turner and Santana in rumors this offseason, as well as Walker before he agreed to his new deal with the Astros. Goldschmidt is another option they could consider, as he would require a lesser investment than Walker, though likely more than Turner or Santana.
MLBTR’s $15MM projection for Goldschmidt exactly matches what the M’s reportedly have to spend. That wouldn’t leave them any money to get the other infielder they want, likely a third baseman, though perhaps the trade market could help them out there.
The Nationals have been rebuilding for a while but could perhaps be ready to emerge back into contention. Their roster has started to fill up with exciting young talents but president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo said back in September that adding middle-of-the-order bats was a priority this winter.
That kind of addition wouldn’t have to come at first base but it would be the most logical place for it. They have lots of exciting young players for the outfield. CJ Abrams and Luis García Jr. seem to be set in the middle infield. Prospect Brady House is a potential third baseman of the future.
But at first, the Nats gave most of their playing time to Joey Gallo, Joey Meneses and Juan Yepez this year. The club declined a mutual option on Gallo while Meneses was outrighted and has since signed a minor league deal with the Mets. Yepez is still on the roster but is likely viewed as more of a role player than an everyday guy. The Nats also don’t have a strict designater hitter and could theoretically have lots of at-bats to share between Yepez and Goldschmidt or some other external addition.
The Mets technically have a first base vacancy but it would be a surprise to see them put fill it with Goldschmidt. Alonso has been a mainstay there for years and many in the baseball world expect the Polar Bear to wind up back in Queens. If Alonso ends up elsewhere, it’s been expected that the Mets would move Mark Vientos over from third since his defense at the hot corner is not well regarded. That could allow them to pursue someone like Alex Bregman or Nolan Arenado.
It’s clear though that president of baseball operations David Stearns loves short-term deals. Last winter, he signed ten free agents, nine of them getting one-year deals. Sean Manaea got two years but with an opt-out, which he eventually triggered.
This winter, it was thought that he would ramp up the aggressiveness. The 15-year Juan Soto deal certainly qualifies but Stearns has paired that with a pile of far more modest moves. Despite having seemingly unlimited funds to work with, he has given one-year deals to Griffin Canning, Jared Young, Dylan Covey and Justin Hagenman, a two-year deal to Frankie Montas and a three-year deal with an opt-out to Clay Holmes.
Signing Goldschmidt to replace Alonso would likely mean Vientos staying at third base for another year, but that was tolerable in 2024 and he’s only 25 years old, so perhaps he will improve a little with more experience. Guys like Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña could perhaps push their way into the infield mix over the course of the year, solidifying the infield group for 2026 and beyond.
Giants should grab Goldy or Turner. Good with either.
Same with Mariners
We’re getting turner or Santana
Goldy > Santana > Turner
Walker>Santana>Alonso>Goldy>Turner
Solely on what I think their WAR will cost per player averaged over their deals.
Well, Walker is gone… Alonso is a pipe dream no Mariners fan should want (in my opinion). Therefore…
Goldy > Santana > Turner
If I had to choose if we sign Pete or don’t sign Pete (and don’t spend the money on anything else) I would take the free all star first baseman
And that’s not necessarily worse than Goldschmidt. If the 3 all repeat 2024, they’ll be very close in what they produce on the field with Goldy arguably being the least valuable… And yet also most expensive…
His biggest advantages over the other 2 are that he’s the “youngest” (37 vs the 38 yo Santana and 40 yo Turner) and hasn’t yet been tested whether a slightly reduced role might help overall production (154 G is a lot for a declining 37 yo; even if he is a recent MVP).
Personally —- I’d love to see a pair of defensive Cardinals Wizards at the corners for the Yankees!!!
Their defense along with what they still have in their bats could very well be the 2 relatively cheaper pieces to put those World Series Rings on their Fingers for 2025!!!
Ewww. Never Turner on the Giants! Take that red beard elsewhere!
Awww man! Although he was a Dodger it would be epic if he was the one to send the Dodgers packing in the playoffs. I love the game and the players individually, as a Giants fan I will always hate the Dodgers!
If anyone is wondering what Alonso and Boras could be asking for that is making teams consider every other available 1B. A little over a year ago, before Pete switched agencies to Boras, he turned down a reported 7 year 158 million dollar extension from the Mets. It was also reported that while the $22 mil AAV was close, Pete was looking for a 9 or 10 year deal.
If they’re still in the ballpark of a 10 years 200+ million dollar asking price, it’s gonna be a long winter for Pete.
As a Mets fan.. I agree
All Pete had to do was get on here. You should have taken the Money, Toombs.
Teams can get similar production on 1 year deals. NY is willing to spend the most. If they are smart and sign the other 2 that leaves Pete without the mega teams bidding him up.
I don’t think there’s any way he gets even the contract he turned down (7/$158M) which I believe also would have bought out his last year of Arb at $20.5 million; in other words, the deal would have added 6/$137.5 million. I think 5 years is his ceiling. The AAV can get adjusted around, but if the deal is 4 or 5 years, he’s looking at an AAV of $23-27 million at best.
If he’s looking for more than five years and an AAV of $25+ million, I think he’s out of luck. 6/$150 million is crazy for him and I say that as a fan of his.
I see Alonso and I see Dave Kingman. He should’ve taken the deal. Boros blows sunshine up his butt and the reality is he’s a home run derby hitter who can’t field and whines like a child.
Vientos to first and one of the kids at third. Soto should improve the nice offense we already had and reinvest the dollars in two starters like Burns and Castillo (via trade). I’d even roll the dice on Buehler. He can’t be as bad as the starters already signed.
Alonso has value for the Mets, and that’s probably his most likely landing spot. But he’s probably looking at a 4-5 year deal with an opt out. His defense is odd. I’d say he’s one of the best 1B in the league at picking balls out of the dirt. Probably the best the mets have had in decades. But his range is probably below average and his arm is god awful.
@BCleveland3381 At this point if he’s even looking for 6/150m, it’s going to be a long winter for Pete.
2022 was his swan song. It’s been downhill ever since.
And he never misses a game but you already know if he goes to the Mets he’s going to end up missing half the season.
I still think a three year deal from the Mets, at $30 million per year, with an opt out after years one and two, would be a win-win deal for Mets and Alonso. Otherwise, a traditional four years at $100 million with no opt outs.
@mlb top I thought you were talking about goldschmidt, had a a good laugh until I saw Alonso
Oh, gosh, yeah I see Goldie as one or two years at $8 million to $10 million per year. My guess is the Nationals, but the Mariners, Tigers, Snakes and Mets could also be in play.
Tiki
I completely disagree with you on spending for a catcher. Spending for an elite defensive catcher who can help Ma age a young pitching staff is well worth it and if they have a decent bat, even more so. I know catchers get fewer at-bats and wear down, but it is still worth it.
You aren’t wrong. They just aren’t expensive. He didn’t say you shouldn’t have a good catcher, but That Wilson Contreras contract was a mistake.
@lark
Contreras’ contract is bad? I’m a 5/$90 deal that produced a 5 War season to lead all catchers?. He’s a freaking bargain.
William Contreras has a 5 WAR season in 2024 and got paid under $800,000. Willson Contreras had a 3 WAR season in 2024 and got paid $18,000,000. They are brothers. The one getting less money is the better one defensively. Willson was not a great catcher defensively with Chicago, but he had an OPS+ of 136 last season with St. Louis. I could see Willson having excellent numbers as a 1B with St. Louis over the next couple years. Christian Walker just got $20 million a year as a 1B, I think Willson might hit comparable to Christian next year. However, I have not seen Willson play 1B to grade his defensive chops at first.
Willson would’ve had another 5 WAR season last year had it not been for a couple of freak impacts that sent to the IL twice.
Given that $18m over 3 years ($6m/ y) is still an incredible FA value, though. That would have been median $/y a decade ago
Compare his remaining (will guess $12m/ 2y since I can’t look it up atm) to Walker’s $20m/ 2y and especially Alonso’s asking price (the moon).
Only he isn’t “catching” anymore because he is so bad at it. They still need a catcher. He is a DH. Ohtani had a 9 WAR season as a DH.
True — while being moved to First Base for the Cardinals — Wilson Contreras is still going to hit!!
However —- the concern is going to be his defense as compared to the defense of one of the all time best at that position, Paul Goldschmidt.
There is no telling how many runs saved and errors saved on poor throws to first base that Goldy saved each season.
In that respect….. I unfortunately believe Wilson could be a liability at that position more so than he would be at catching on defense.
The good thing is — the Cardinals do have Burleson to back up Contreras at first base in case that experiment goes sour.
C 1b pretty important. And a bats a bat. You should pay fair market value any chance you get.
MLB Top 100…..Re: the importance and value of a Catcher. If you consider the fact that it is extremely difficult to develop a really good C from within your MLB Org. This makes the few good ones available on the market that much more desirable.
It is so hard to develop a good Catching Prospect – I wonder how much ‘my Mariners’ would pay in FA dollars to have a switch hitting C who hit 34 HR’s 100 RBI’s with an AL Platinum Glove? Before they developed C Raleigh in house they had ‘whiffed’ on numerous high draft pick backstops….
Reality of the Alonso market coming into focus
Always interesting to see teams en masse finally figure something out.
Of course, I thought that was the case in another matter, and three days later the Rockies signed Kris Bryant to 7/$182,000,000.00.
I understand why that is a popular opinion, said the same when the Mets traded for Mike Piazza. But it’s a damn good thing they did!
Yes and Piazza wasn’t a good defensive catcher. Catcher is one of if not the most important position on the field and the most underrated. At all levels of baseball you want one of your smartest players behind the plate.
I actually always thought Piazza was decent defensively despite not having a good arm. I always thought he called a good game with those Dodger and Mets rotations. Yes, it helped that he caught the majority of his games in pitcher parks at the time (Shea and Dodger stadium), but I never felt his defense cost the Mets or Dodgers many games.
We now know that Piazza was a better defender than he got credit for. He was a terrible thrower, but he was a very good pitch framer and excellent blocker, and while we don’t have a great way to measure game-calling ability and such, he seems to have at least been solid based on anecdotal reports from the pitchers he worked with.
Spending for a free agent is a separate matter, as first-time free agents are usually around 30, and you worry about how players will age. It’s assumed that catchers will age more quickly, which is probably true—but there are exceptions However, I think it’s better to understand how certain skills tend to age, and to evaluate—as best as you can—how a given player is likely to age, irrespective of position, rather than concluding a priori that, say, signing shortstops to long-term deals is better than signing first basemen to long-term deals. Javy Báez and Freddie Freeman both signed similar six-year free agent deals following the 2021 season ($140mm and $162mm, respectively). Freeman had the longer track record, but Báez, at age 29, was 3 years younger, and both had been worth ~4.4 WAR/162 up to that point. Halfway through those deals, it’s pretty clear which one has worked out better. On the other hand, after Francisco Lindor’s tumultuous first season with the Mets in 2021, the 10-year extension they gave him after trading for him—which didn’t even kick in until 2022—looked like a potential disaster. However, he’s averaged 6.5 WAR over the first three years of the deal, become their unofficial captain and arguably most beloved current Met, and he just had the best season of his career at age 30, both in his surface stats and under-the-hood metrics, suggesting more strong production to come. Darren Dreifort…but Randy Johnson. Max Scherzer…but Stephen Strasburg. ♂️
Piazza was fine defensively. While he didn’t have a good arm, but he was rather good at framing.
I’m not sure about his blocking, as nobody ever seems to bring that up, but Tankerbell above me claims he was good at that, too.
Yeah, there was some research done about Piazza’s defense several years ago, including the stuff about his blocking. Ben Lindbergh (from the Ringer, and host of the Effectively Wild podcast) did a write-up about it, I think either on Baseball Prospectus or FiveThirtyEight.
Fwiw fangraphs has Piazza at+20.7 runs on defense over 16 seasons. A lot better than his conventional rep, in short.
Goldy is a great stop gap for teams planning to be aggressive for Vald Jr next offseason. Im sure there are many GMs constantly weighing their options as this chapter unfolds. Many teams I would consider heavy favorites for Vlad Jr are in a position of “win now”.. which makes things interesting for these GMs.
He really, really isn’t.
For 13m-15m, AND a 1 year contract…many GMs would beg to differ.
There are also many other intangibles that come along with Goldy that certain teams appreciate and can benefit from.
@DugoutJester Amusing, then, that he couldn’t get “13m-15m.”
And that the only GM to sign him was notorious over-the-hill, former star-xxxxxx Brian Cashman.
You have too many commas in that sentence ♂️
@jackstrawb it makes sense for the giants imo if they find a decent trade for Lamonte. He’s crushed nl west teams, and having him as a bridge/mentor to Eldridge would work well
I think Goldy will be better in 2025 than 2024. And he might have a couple seasons in him. When your done you are done but he’s still hitting the ball hard in 2024.
As much as I love Pete, it doesn’t hurt to have a veteran bat with leadership and a good glove on a short-term deal. I would bet on him having a little tread left on the tires. Seems like a pro’s pro. Don’t get me wrong, if money is no object I would rather have Pete with a reasonable deal, but Goldy helps.
Vientos could play some 1B also but 3B being his main position.
Talking about on days Goldschmidt doesn’t start.
Assuming NYM signs Paul
If Alonso keeps himself in the best shape he could consider a shorter term (Bet on himself) contract and he’d be able to choose from more teams. I thought he could have benefitted from being about 25 lbs lighter the last 2 years especially around the midsection. Helps with agility and more
WASH, SEA, CLE, KC, AZ, SF, BOS, LAA, COL, A’s
If $ is no object or even if it is should have offered Ohtani a billion instead of Soto and Pete.
Looks like Goldschmidt is having his market go higher than we thought.
Earlier in the offseason, I could see him or Santana on a one year deal in Cincinnati because they wouldn’t cost much.
MLBTR, you forgot to link to Goldschmidt! uffda
Uffda… du Norsk?
If the Giants snag Goldy & Burnes they could actually be interesting….until the Dodgers get Roki
Anyone who signs petey to 5-125 is gonna have some serious buyers remorse by year 3
@jswanny41 Pretty sure that remorse will arrive no later than May 2025.
Yes you’re prolly right I was just trying to be nice to ol Petey
I have remorse just seeing you mention it in comment section.
Pete has sellers remorse after turning down the Mets generous extension. He will end up leaving tens of millions on the Table. An epically bad decision.
I love it. Seeing Freeman cry was one of my favorite sports moments. I hope Pete crys. Or at least gets salty. Pete has a real agent though. Boras has good odds of getting a opt out or option for him so he can try free agency again unlike Freeman signing one of the most team friendly contracts ever.
Right up there with Conforto, who has even more reason to feel unlucky.
A lesson to corner guys leaving or soon to leave their 20s when offered long-ish deals at $23-25m a year.
As an M’s fan, as soon as I read: Mets, Nationals, and Mariners, I think “We don’t have a prayer.”
As a Nats fan, as soon as I read: Mets, Nationals, and Mariners, I think “We don’t have a prayer.” As well 🙂
As a Mets fan, as soon as I read: Mets, Nationals, and Mariners, I think “We have a prayer that someone else will take him.”
joey gallo is the oldest 31 year-old on the planet
MLBTR: try to find someone who knows a little about the Mets, please.
“…Vientos staying at third base for another year, but that was tolerable in 2024 and he’s only 25 years old, so perhaps he will improve a little with more experience.”
————————————
—–Vientos has played almost 4,000 innings at 3B in pro ball over 7 years. He’s now 25, and everyone who follows the game knows fielding tends to peak in a player’s early 20s.
And you know what? Vientos is STILL awful out there. He’s NOT getting better ‘with more experience.’ In addition to 4,000 innings at 3B he’s also taken something like 100,000 balls at third during practices over more than a decade, and that’s probably a very low figure.
Forget it. He’s not a 3Bman, though if he continues to put up an 840 OPS he can probably fake it for another year. Still, the way Stearns has been running the Mets it’s a fair certainty he’d rather go into 2025 with Vientos at 1B and Mauricio at 3B than spend 20-25m on a stopgap 1Bman on a three year or longer deal and have to watch Vientos at 3B for another full season.
All these skinflint teams thought they could fill that 1b hole on a one year bargain basement K for Goldy. Unfortunately for them, some of the big boys have the same idea and might be constructing a stars and scrubs roster.
Sorry folks, parks closed.
Ok with the Dodgers paying 6/162 for Freddie.
VTA
Agree. Letting Seager go and using the saved money for Freddie Freeman worked fine.
Seager will get $31.5 million at age 37 in 2031, Freddie Freeman will get $27 million at age 37 in 2027. In 2024, Seager was 5.0 WAR (145 OPS +) and Freeman was 4.7 WAR (143 OPS +).
The Dodgers will then have lots of money to spend on a free agent during Seager’s age 34 to 37 years, e.g., 2028-2031.
Down side of his career.
Nah he’s going to get better the closer he gets to 40 mvp mvp mvp
I would think the Mets have a distinct advantage due to NOT having to include dealing with QO tariffs. Having said that, the biggest handicap Alonso carries is Borass. He continues to search inside the couch cushions for any remaining loose change. True that some of his clients made out well, but Soto was getting paid because he is Soto. There will be a client or two who end up getting burned. Alonso could well be one of them.
Alonso already knows he’s been burned.
How much more “Burnt” would Pete Alonso be if he didn’t homer against Devin Williams in the playoffs, right?
But I think every team including the Mets saw the downside of a Pete Alonso long-term contract heading into that at bat.
The upside? Still there, maybe not for five full years. But it could be if someone can get into his head and calm him down in big situations. In crucial at bats, you can see in his face Pete pressing to make something big happen, and he’d just roll one over to shortstop/pop out to the infield/or strike out swinging.
Lindor should have been the All-Star team representative for the Mets last year, but God-forbid the precious Home Run Derby miss Pete, right?
Yep, one swing of the bat in October in Milwaukee tried to build some value back into what was one of the biggest whiffs (on that original Mets offer) of Pete’s career.
@imissjoebuzas Great comment. Reads like the elevator pitch for a biography of greed, chutzpah, and foolishness.
@AgeeHarrelsonJones I’d like to think Alonso has at least begun the process of admitting he burned himself.
Advanced stats are nothing new to baseball players and haven’t been for at least a decade. Nothing stopped Pete from finding three statistical outfits at ten grand a pop to tell him how teams would project his free agency years—at which point he would have jumped at the 7/$158m the Eppler-Cohen Mets offered.
Instead he got greedy. He’s far from wanting to be a lifelong Met despite his blather, and he foolishly thought he’d be up for as much as 10/$250m.
No doubt he had a meeting with Boras, and Boras lied to him. And being greedy, he wanted to hear it and he bought into it. It’s not difficult to feel a bit of passing sympathy for Conforto, a better, younger player who suffered a serious injury bt turning down a Mets offer for 5/120-125m and his FA offseason.
Pete, though? There are worse things than seeing ignorance, greed, and deception punished.
@tiki
good catchers are hard to find.
Mariners? All smoke screen. Jerry just wants the fans to feel sorry for him when Goldy signs for 2/30. Boo hoo. Luke Raley is going to be the every day 1B. Just watch.
I’m fine with that as long as we come up with a real 3B.
And second baseman.
And DH.
How likely is it that the starting lineup on Opening Day includes an infield of (gulp) Raley, Bliss, Crawford, and Shenton? Haniger at DH. And how many Mariners fans would finally jump ship and become Dodger fans?
I hope anybody who jumps ship has the self-respect to pick a team other than the Dodgers. Don’t be such a front runner. Root for Portland to get an expansion team. Choose the Padres. Be a Blue Jays fan so you can hang out with 25,000 Canadians one weekend every year.
Personally, I could never abandon ship. Only ship I’ve ever known. And if they stink, well, the summer is beautiful so I can ignore them. GOMS!
For a year, totally wouldn’t mind Goldy on the Yankees. Was always a fan.
Not to take anything away from a fantastic career, but too many fans are getting hung up on what Paul Goldschmidt was and overlooking the player he is now. If the Yankees are going for a stopgap solution at first, I’d much rather have Carlos Santana’s higher floor. His slugging %, K rate, walk rate and defense are all superior to Goldy’s at this stage of their respective careers. Plus, he’ll command a lower salary.
If Cashman is able to bring back Gleyber Torres on a 1 year deal, then round out the roster with Santana and Austin Hays as a veteran fallback for Jasson Dominguez, I’d be quite happy with this offseason
Based on both careers, I’d have a longer leash for Goldy. I think something other than age was off. Santana is a year older, and though he might age better, I’d still have more reservations. This could seriously be the fantasy manager in me still believing in the Goldy that won me championships and just wanting him on my real life for once. Fully admit that as my bias, but still!
I’d be fine with Gleyber back tbh, but I’m meh on Hayes. Goldy and Gleyber would need a more solid OF addition then.
I’d go 2 or 3 if it significantly lowers the aav.
Nah, no more than a year here. He wasn’t good last year, so not sure what we’d be getting.
He was good. Just unlucky.
First base is the easiest position to fill. The Yankees did it with a AAA catcher last year and went to the WS.
@Lark
you mean the rookie that was 5th in War among catchers?
No. I meant Ben Rice. He was not 5th in WAR among anybody last year!
Easy to fill but not good enough to beat the dodgers blue who only had 3 uninjured starting pitchers
Yeah! It was Ben Rice’s fault the Yankees didn’t beat the Dodgers. Maybe it was because Luke Weaver couldn’t pitch six innings of relief in every game. The bullpen was the biggest reason the Yankees were unable to finish games they were winning/should have won in the WS.
That’s hopefully been taken care of now with the addition of Williams from the Brewers —- along side Weaver.
Exactly. Also brought in another high leverage arm yesterday for Trevino. The bullpen is going to be much better.
Wait until you see Defensive Wizards Paul Goldschmidt at first base & Nolan Arenado at 3rd base for the Yankees in 2025.
While Moving their current 3rd baseman to his natural position at 2nd and retaining their current short stop.
That will be the most efficient infield in the whole American League!!
Also, with Bellinger in Center —- the Yankees outfield won’t be any slouch either!!!
Extremely Interesting Scenario!!!!!
@larkraxm For some reason that isn’t the case any more, probably because in the non-PEDs era you can’t just plug in a decent 33 yo hitter at 1B and expect him to continue producing.
Number of 32 and older 1Bmen in MLB who put up 2+ WAR in 2024? Three. That’s it.
Once baseball became a game for men in their 20s and superstars, the entire landscape changed.
Part of me still thinks Pete is going to an AL Central team
White Sox!
Yup 10 year deal with the ChiSox. Jerry R not messing around no more.
Reading this and the whole Mariners have $15M left to spend in their budget, etc. reminds me of the early days of MLBTR, reading on that black and white screen, about how teams only had like $3M or $4.5M of wiggle room in their budget to take care of multiple positional weaknesses or empty slots in their roster= granted, this was probably close to 20 years ago now, but it just blows my mind how much the game has changed, particular with revenue sharing and the explosion of budgets thanks to these broadcast deals.
They are in trouble then because Goldschmidt can take up most of that. All of it if gms see the same things I do.
And yet, the chooses-to-haves and the chooses-to-have-nots continues to split apart. If the NFL can revenue share, so can MLB. Just get rid of the bogus antitrust exemption.
The Mariners are not in on anyone.
Sad but this seems true
Stearns is not signing Goldschmidt to a 1 year contract and he’s not signing Pete.
Mets will go into 25 with Vientos at first and someone from outside the organization not named Nolan or Alex at 3rd
@AgeeHarrelsonJones Mauricio resumed baseball activities at the start of December. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Mets began the year with Mauricio at 3B and someone like Kim for 1/12m, a serious IFer coming off surgery who can handle 3B beginning in say mid-May and could easily handle a starting gig.
Project his modest 2024 at 3B in 2025 and Ronny gives you a win for $800k, leaving what you didn’t spend on a 3Bman available for pitching.
Would like to see Pete in the AL, perhaps the Angels, Indians or White Sox will be interested
Goldschmidt? Yuck. Mets just bring Alonso back already.
I don’t think Saki wants to go to the dodgers because of the number of starting pitchers they already have. I think he wants to go somewhere where there’s room for him to be a regular feature on the mound.
Put goldschmidt on a winner, a tm thats chasing a pennant i have a good feeling he’s gonna give it 150%
Not many chances left to grab a ring
1 yr in queens
Hitting behind lindor vientos soto
If it doesnt work out, you move on & he’s finished
But if it works out
Could be that last great hurrah
Only 2 yrs removed from mvp
@johncoltrane So $27m in his walk year wasn’t enough motivation for Goldschmidt to play his best?
And that’s the guy you want on your team?
Study the aging curve. He’s turning 37 AND he keeps Vientos at 3B. That’s ugly talk.
This is the only type of player the mariners trade for now. Guys that were really good once but now are at least a year over the hill. And right about to start sucking real bad.
Yeah, like that Castillo trade. Or that Raley guy. Oh, and definitely Arozarena. He’s a textbook case of “over the hill”.
The M’s only ever trade for “at least a year over the hill” guys like them.
(IOW: you very, very clearly refused to think about all of the Mariners’ trades and only wanted to cherry pick)
“A trade between the Mariners and Orioles makes sense. The Orioles need an established starter and the Mariners need a 1B/3B. If the Mariners were to grab both Mountcastle and Coby Mayo, it would open up the logjam on the Orioles infield. Any trade with the Orioles would likely include Castillo plus some prospects.”
Ripped from an article, but I’m… 96% behind this.
I’d do that deal in a Heartbeat if the player going back isn’t Emerson… Mayo got TMobile Power…
tikiagedola: Mike Piazza says shevarim t’ruah.
I may be too cynical, but I have trouble believing this rumor in the thread title, of the several teams being interested in Goldy. I’m thinking this may be initiated by Goldy’s agent. If I’m running a team, I’d search for minor league guys who could match Goldy’s production for much less money
Billionaire Steve Cohen is regarded as one of the most wealthy, if not the most wealthy, owner of a MLB team. Cohen could provide Alonso with the contract Alonso is asking for if Cohen wanted to. This being late December indicates that Cohen does not want to provide Alonso with what Alonso wants. Therefore, Alonso either needs to accept what Cohen currently offers, or look to another organization for a contract.
Pete turned down an extension in 2023 for $158MM, he bet on himself in 2024 and loss, had his worst year, he probably won’t get anything close to that offer.
Not to mention that 7/158m offer was made with Eppler as ass’t GM and Steve Cohen still playing at GM. Even if Pete has repeated 2023 in 2024 he wasn’t getting that offer again. Not from the Stearns Mets.
Yep, he definitely “lost”.
No. I don’t want an aging player. Castillo for Casas and someone else.
Pass… Mountcastle and Mayo and give them Tai Peete or Arroyo even Montes I’d give up for Mayo… sheds payroll too… Evan, Hancock, or one of the kids can fill the 5spot
The Yankees also have interest, from what I hear.
The Yankees would do better with Santana on a one year deal, Dominguez up for a full year to prove he wasn’t Kevin Maas, and if he is the real deal, then push Bellinger over to first base next season.
Goldschmidt to the Yankees
Eh, the Cards’ deal for Goldschmidt and the extension was a fine move because he was on a HOF path. Same with Freeman and LAD. Olson was worth an 8/168m deal bc of his age and peak.
As for C, the Mets paid a lot for Carter and got a WS out of it. Nor did they regret Piazza. Realmuto’s another example. A strong HOVG candidate still in his peak phase when the Phils got him.
In short, it all depends. Good idea, though, not to pay 2 win 1Bmen like Pete 6/150m. But that neighborhood for Freeman, Goldschmidt, and Olson? Yeah, sign us up.
Bizarre, that the Mets would have been genuinely interested in Goldy.
“That’s downward slope is obviously somewhat discouraging” come on! Proofread your stories, MLBTR. This is amateurish.