5:30pm: Tim Healey of Newsday provides a similar report to Martino, saying that the two sides are deep in talks. However, Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet report that there’s no gaining momentum for the Jays to sign Alonso or Scherzer.
3:05pm: The Blue Jays have been known for a while to have interest in free agent first baseman Pete Alonso. Andy Martino of SNY reports today that talks between the two sides are “advancing,” though he cautions that nothing is done yet and it can’t be certain that a deal will be completed.
Though nothing is done yet, it would be quite an interesting offseason pivot for the Jays if they could get the deal over the line. For the first few months of the winter, the club was defined by coming up just short in their pursuits of free agents like Juan Soto, Max Fried, Corbin Burnes and Roki Sasaki. When combined with last winter’s near miss on Shohei Ohtani and a disappointing 2024 season, frustration was high among the fanbase.
The volume of the murmuring decreased somewhat in recent days as the Jays signed outfield Anthony Santander to provide the lineup with a power boost. But even after that deal, it didn’t seem as though the Jays were done. They reportedly still have payroll space and have been recently connected to players like Alonso, Jurickson Profar and Max Scherzer.
If Alonso is ultimately brought north of the border alongside Santander, the two would make for fairly similar additions. Both players have power as their clear best trait, with their other contributions a bit more muted.
Alonso has clubs 226 home runs over the past six seasons, which puts him second only to Aaron Judge for that span. But despite that huge power, he has lingered unsigned in free agency as spring training is just over the horizon.
That is perhaps due to the other parts of his profile. His 9.9% career walk rate is a bit above average but not by much. He doesn’t have huge speed on the basepaths. The reviews on his defense have been mixed, with Alonso having earned +2 Defensive Runs Saved in his career but getting a grade of -24 from Outs Above Average. His offense has also been relatively lower of late. He slashed .261/.349/.535 through 2022 for a wRC+ of 137, but then hit .229/.324/.480 for a 121 wRC+ over the past two years.
That’s still really strong production but it’s possible that it contributed to a gap between what Alonso and his reps were expecting from free agency and what clubs were willing to offer. The power-only right-handed slugger is a profile that hasn’t been paid well in a while and Alonso’s recent dip may not have helped him.
Many expected him and the Mets to reunite but the club didn’t seem too keen on that. Even as Alonso and his reps have pivoted to considering short-term deals recently, the Mets apparently capped their offer in the range of $68-70MM over three years. That amounts to something close to $23MM annually, a lower average annual value than Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery were able to get even though they remained unsigned into February/March of last year.
It’s unclear what kind of terms Alonso and Jays are discussing, but he would be a sensible fit for them, despite his flaws. The Jays had some strengths last year but power was a clear weakness. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the only guy on the club to get to the 20-homer plateau. The team-wide tally of 156 long balls was 26th out of the 30 clubs in the league, ahead of only the Marlins, Rays, Nationals and White Sox.
Their walk rate, however, trailed only six teams. Their defense was considered quite strong, with DRS having them tops in the majors and OAA considering them the fourth-best. Therefore, adding a player who mostly provides power was a sensible target coming into the offseason.
They already made one such addition with Santander. Like Alonso, his power is a greater strength than his defense, speed or on-base ability. But the Jays are seemingly willing to go after the weakest part of their 2024 club and attack it.
Fitting everyone into the lineup would be a bit of a challenge. The Jays already have a first baseman in Guerrero. With Alonso on the club, the two would presumably share first base and the designated hitter spot somewhat regularly. Guerrero has played a bit of third base in his career but only 14 games in the past five seasons. Most of those came last year as the club was playing out the string on a lost season.
Without Alonso on the club, corner outfielders Santander and George Springer make sense as the top candidates to receive lengthy stints in the DH spot. As mentioned, Santander is not a great fielder. Springer has been a good defender in his career but is now 35 years old and he’s naturally sliding a bit in that department. Adding Alonso would limit the ability of the Jays to use Springer or Santander in the DH spot, unless they are willing to put Guerrero at third more often than expected. As of now, Ernie Clement profiles as the club’s best option at the hot corner. Since he’s more of a glove-first guy capable of playing other positions, it’s possible he could be deployed in more of a utility role. Speculatively speaking, it’s possible the Jays could start some games with Guerrero and Alonso at the corners, with Clement subbing in at third late in the game if the club is ahead and wants to prioritize defense. At that point, either Guerrero or Alonso could head to the bench, with the other at first.
It’s an interesting gambit and time will tell if the two sides get anything done. The Jays apparently still have some money to spend and have some options available. Whether that’s Alonso, Profar, Scherzer, someone else or some combination, it appears they are still busy in trying to salvage the offseason after a few misses earlier on.
Signing Alonso would also require the club to forfeit a draft pick and $500K of international bonus pool space because he rejected a qualifying offer from the Mets. The Jays already gave up pool space to sign Santander but added $2MM in the ill-fated Myles Straw deal when they were courting Sasaki, so they probably aren’t especially worried about that part. Since they already surrendered their second-best pick in the upcoming draft to get Santander, signing Alonso would mean also forfeiting their third-highest pick. The Mets would receive a compensation pick for Alonso leaving, but as a club that paid the competitive balance tax last year, that pick wouldn’t come until after the fourth round.
Please get a deal done today so we all can move on. Mets can look to fill a 3B whole with Vientos moving to 1B full time.
Seeing is believing. Until there’s a signed contract, I’m of the belief that it’s Boras desperately trying to get the Mets to reengage.
He may be able to get more of that Soto nest egg in TOR with their FO feeling the heat from the pitchforks and tiki torches outside their offices, while comfortably seguing into Bergman convos with NYM, and Boras securing his commissions. Does anyone believe DET will give Bergman the Hot-n-Readys he’s lookin’ for??
Especially since that’s not actually his name.
I believe run is referring to the owner of Detroit…Little Ceasers… hot ‘n ready pizza.
Or maybe that “Bergman” is actually Bregman?
Ah, my “e” and “r” switched places on me.
I’ll do something Alex is incapable of and apologize for my transgressions.
absolutely agree. Jays being used as leverage again.
I don’t get the Pete Alonso fit with the Blue Jays. Alex Bregman makes much more sense.
The Alonso fit with the Mets still makes more sense. That said, Steve Cohen might prefer waiting until next offseason and once again make the biggest free agent splash by signing Vlad Jr. to pair with Juan Soto.
@aaron
Alonzo can DH. I doubt Jay’s will aqueous, but Vlad has stated he would like to move back to 3rd.
Alonso to the Mets makes ZERO sense.
He projects as no better than the triumvirate of Acuna, Mauricio, and Baty at 3B, where an 85 OPS+ and average defense plus the benefit of moving Vientos to 1B, where he’s already played half a season in pro ball, projects to be at least as valuable as Pete’s continued decline, the empty HR with a low OBP, and ever-worsening defense. All at the absurd price of a $23m AAV for… nothing. Alonso on the team also keeps Vientos at 3B and kills any room to find the upside of one of their three young players. It’s worse than ridiculous. It’s inane.
These aren’t the Eppler Mets. Alonso is as good as gone, and he’s not coming back for an AAV that would net the Mets Flaherty or two very good relievers or David Robertson plus a strong backup IFer who can handle 3B.
—Alonso only makes sense as the Jays DH. The idea that he and Vlad are going to ‘share’ 1B, is just more hilarious lunacy where two of the worst 1Bmen in baseball are going to be made actually worse by being swapped in and out of the position.
If this is true, it gives you a look into how the Blue Jays feel about their chances to bring Vladi back.
Ummmmm, as the DH?
If they sign the Panda, errr I mean Polar Bear where’s the Blob going to play? Ahahahaha!
Vlad is a gold glove first baseman and is very agile and moves quickly. Just because he shows lazy tendencies, especially on the basepaths, doesnt mean he is not a tremendous athlete
…so there!
Vlad improved immensely at 1B from his first year there. But his bat got him the GG. He’s not even sniffed it since. He could pretend he’s Devers at 3B, but being as good/poor is wishful thinking. At this point the Jays are simply looking at who will take their money, so they can sell tickets. These remainders don’t really fit their needs. DH should rarely be a target. The only way Alonso goes to TOR is with the hope that Vlad will be gone in a year. Is that what they really want in an addition?
If they sign Alonso they will have 4 guys whose best position is DH. Weird winter add two DHs to a lineup and a team built for defence and run prevention.
Sounds like White Sox in 2021
Beware
Defense? Are you British?
Likely Canadian
logjammer, don’t take offence at our neighbours’ spelling, please and sorry*
* pronounced ‘sorey’
Canadians and Brits spell things slightly different on some cases… oooohhhhhh we are Fing crazy! Americans man… guess what… we spell “color” colour… because in “english” color would not be pronounced phonetically as Cull – Err it would be Ko – Lor
@log: The Commonwealth does have a MLB team and they are the subject of this article.
Blow their minds we spell “check’ cheque.
Spelling differences are understood and to be expected. Buying milk in bags is just crazy
In modern baseball, to be honest, the defensive positions that really matter are CF and C. And SS at a rung lower. LF is nice. That’s really it. You can still have a very effective D with just average or even below average gloves everywhere else. Teams hit fewer GB’s every year and there are fewer balls in play in general.
@gomer: Does Canada spell “tires”–the circular things on cars–with a Y?
I’m not taking defense at all. It would before like sowry. I’m gonna have a game of sowry would fellas like to play some sowry later?(Super Troopers 2 reference)
I’m guessing he also thinks maths is brilliant.
Defense is the American spelling. Defence is the English spelling.
It worked for the Phillies. Everyone criticized them punting defense with their offseason additions and they ended up in the world series that year.
Kam, probably a matter of days before English is renamed American.
Agreed @Seamaholic.
They could also do a bit of a timeshare with Vlad splitting his games between first, third, and DH. Alonzo plays around 2/3 of his games at first and the rest at DH. Clement can hold down third base whenever Vlad isn’t playing there.
They could choose games where they have a fly ball starter pitching or against teams with a bunch of left-handed hitters to put Vlad at 3rd. Another advantage of that approach would be that when there’s a fly ball pitcher on the mound for them and Vlad’s playing third that opens up DH for Santander and they can play someone a little bit more defensively gifted in the outfield for those games.
Canadian, British spelling — defence, licence, etc
USAers — defense, license, etc
one is a verb the other is a noun in Canadian English
No. CanadianTire is a large store chain here shows this in practice
Some of these commenters deserve time in a British gaol.
Cor blimey, wouldn’t that be a bit of bother.
I would work in finance but I Tyra Banks.
Nothing worse than NY fans.
Probably, but Vlad could move to 3rd considering that he wants to.
dsett75: How do you know he wants to?
What I’ve read somewhere. I can only assume it’s to increase his value come FA. Actually, I should have probably said willing to.
He’s expressed many times he either wishes to or is open yo playing 3rd. I don’t think it’s as simple as he becomes the every day 3rd baseman. But a couple times a week I could see for sure! .
Hey,
Here is an article from late last season where he says he would love to move to 3B.
jaysjournal.com/posts/vladimir-guerrero-jr-says-th…
Another polar bear in Canada?
Issue is they need pitching.
Not desperately they don’t. Adding Hoffman, Sandlin, and bringing back Yimi strengthens the pen.
They have a strong set of starters. They can add another at the deadline.
I just don’t see after Gausman a strong staff. I don’t trust berrios and Bassit is ok. Gonna need more than that.
bro. You dont trust Berrios but Bassitt is ok? You are in bizarro land
Not sure if you are looking at stats or watching but from both I would very much trust Berrios over Bassit. There is a reason us Jays fans thought Bassit was expendable in a trade. However Bassit is serviceable at least and better than any internal options. 2 years ago I would have agreed with you.
I like them as a fit for Montgomery if the money can be worked out. They need a lefty starter.
As a diehard dbacks fan I’ll be happy with that. We need to shed some money. We are lacking another hitter and pen piece
You don’t get anything back if you can dump JM on somebody. At least his whole contact. You might have to attach the extra body.
Would you attach Del Castillo if the Jays took all of the Montgomery contract and sent a mid-range prospect or two?
Pete won;t prevent them from getting pitching,
Ummm they’ve stated they want to below the 2nd apron of the tax. They still need a back up catcher and another SP 4/5 type.
I dunno how they’ve got such a bloated payroll and yet seem to have so many holes on the roster still.
Well of course that’s what they stated. They’re not going to announce to the world that money isn’t an issue. They can trade some guys if need be to clear out cash.
“ThatsIT” Who stated they wanted to be below the 2nd tax threshold??? Atkins has stated there is still money for more additions, you do not say that when you are at the 2nd tax threshold and want to get under it!!!
You’re right. No one has ever stated the tax threshold or any other threshold as a red line.
They need bats much more than pitching. They need a 5th starter but an impact bat is 137% more important.
They could get Alonso and Montgomery. They do that and they could perhaps contend.
Sure, but they need power much more. I think they were about 3rd from last in HR’s last year. Meanwhile, a top 4 of Berrios, Gausman, Francis and Bassitt (and Rodriguez) isn’t bad. And now they have Sandlin, Garcia and Hoffman in the pen, along with Green, etc.
Manoah is on schedule for a late July/August return as well so there is that to consider.
They should go after the lefty Quintana or Heaney for their 5th.
I wonder if signing Alonso will signal the Jays are prepared to move on from Guerrero. But neither is a very good defender so they could co exist. And I just don’t know who else wants Alonso at this point.
Angels have been linked to him at one point. I’m just crossing my fingers the Blue Jays dont let this one get away.
I don’t think the Angels make any sense for Alonso but that hasn’t stopped them in the past.
I don’t think Alonso has any other serious suitors. I can see him in Toronto splitting time with Guerrero this year and next year taking over 1B.
i would say a Guerrero trade is on the horizon. Guerrero is probably looking for an AAV of 35mil+ for like 13+ years. Blue jays should be smart enough to know that he does not deserve that kind of money
“Guerrero trade”..I tend to agree. The history of portly sluggers in MLB is not very good.
Babe Ruth would like a word from the great beyond..
“portly sluggers” — Chris Davis was a chizzeled Greek god.
Appearance is not a predictor of outcomes or abilities.
@mlb fan how is that people still think Vlad is fat? Has no one seen him in the past year? He lost a bunch of weight.
For those of you who still think that please click this link to see what he looks like now: torontosun.com/sports/baseball/toronto-blue-jays/w…
Look at Big Papi Ortiz his body was similar to that of Guerrero and he was a beast for his entire career.
13 years is a crazy amount of time. Maybe 7-9 years at 27mil aav
honestly he’s probably going to want more than 13 years. it baffles me how this guy is making almost 30 mil in arbitration. he should not be getting that amount.
He’s not signing for 27 mill when he just got 28 in arbitration. It’ll be for 12-15 years for CBT purposes unless he’s willing to take deferrals.
A 10/450 deal is prob the goal, but his body type wont age well
@swag he had a 166+ OPS and 6.2 WAR last season. How much do you think that is worth?
No need to move on from him. They’ll rotate Vlad between 1st/DH & 3RD.
They’re gonna trade Vlad to the Dodgers.
Why not the Dodgers? Sarcasm
Sarcasm?
PLEASE FINISH THE DEAL.
I want a guarantee he won’t be on the Angels.
“Don’t worry friend… there’s nothing Ross Atkins can’t do!”
Ok I just looked it up and apparently Guerrero has never been a DH before. Am I looking at that right? That seems crazy. Never one game?
He DH’s once in a while, around once a week or so.
Maybe baseball reference has changed how they show this.
@BITA: They must have changed it because it doesn’t show DH for him under Standard Fielding. Now you have to go to Splits, then Defensive Positions, which shows he’s played 171 games in his career at DH. I’m not sure why B-Ref changed this. Or maybe it’s always been that way and it’s a Mandela Effect kind of thing. But I could have sworn DH used to show up under Standard Fielding.
rct, I have always found DH listed under standard batting not fielding on BR as a DH does not field only bats!!!
@jaysfan: Apparently it’s under “Appearances” on a player’s main page, which I don’t ever recall seeing. I will just chalk this up to me not being observant.
DH definitely used to show up in the fielding section it appears they changed it. Yeah not sure why.
Check the wayback machine. I looked at 2020 and it didn’t show up. It’s in Appearances though (directly below Standard Fielding).
cause you aren’t fielding?
Vlad actually wants to play 3rd. I assume to increase his value when FA comes.
I want do date Jisoo but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.
There’s a better chance Vlad gets what he wants than us.
I think you will.
Get a life troll
No one is going to buy that he’s a 3B. Terrible defense at 3B won’t actually do anything for him. He may believe it will though.
Clement was a league average bat last year and one of the better 3B around. I seriously doubt anyone’s taking his gig. They’d be silly to do so. I’d guess Vlad and Pete will share 1B and DH, with Vlad getting occasional 3B starts and leaving in FA next off-season. Makes total sense. Good team.
Is that because Devers adds so much to his value by playing third? I sincerely doubt any team will even consider him as a 3B long term. Many would walk away if he insists on it.
If the Mets lose Pete they will need to make some more quality moves. They didn’t add the pitching they needed and adding Soto then losing Alonso wipes out part of the gains on offense.
If the Mets lose Pete, I’d think they go after Bregman to play 3B. Taking a chance on Baty/Mauricio/Acuna seems too risky for a team looking to win now.
Hey there Mr. Lasagna. I once thought that the Mets would definitely get either Alonso or Bregman, but now I doubt either will be there. The team doesn’t have a great minor league system, but what they do have is a ton of young infielders coming up quickly. I think they’re happy to roll with a young guy at third to start the season… if it doesn’t work out I’m sure they’ll deal for reinforcements as the year moves along.
If Pete does indeed split, though, I would expect them to pick up another arm for the bullpen.
They could and I think will get a guy who can play 3B and elsewhere (2B for instance) and ease the kids in. Bregman would work but so would any number of trades they could pull off for a league average-ish dude.
Bregman or the outside chance there’s a Vlad trade. Vientos, Acuna, amongst others going back to Toronto maybe.
Vientos, Acuña among others maybe? Never.
I don’t see the Jays trading Vlad Jr. I think they extend him. 12-14 years 475 mill
That’s crazy, he’s controlled for just this season. The Mets will NOT include Vientos. Period. I keep seeing so many Jays blogs and sites predicting trade packages and they all include Vientos because that’s what the Jays want but why would the Mets do it? They are trying to improve offense. Trading a guy who hit 27HR and hit around .270 in 85% of a season who’s under team control on the cheap for a guy in Vlad who’s offense numbers were better but not immensely is not worth it, especially when they are going to have to give Vlad a mega deal to keep him around.
The jays will ask for the moon for Vlad Jr if he was traded , but I don’t see him getting moved.
The Mets won’t include Vientos, and as a result, won’t get Vladdy this year. Which is the right move, considering he’ll be a FA next offseason anyway.
The Mets don’t want minor gains, they want someone in addition to Lindor, Soto & Vientos. The Mets would most likely be willing to “overpay” in terms of Vlad only being a rental at this point. That said Vientos, Sproat & Benge will all be untouchable. Mets would also probably prefer to keep Gilbert, and at least one of Tong or McLean if not both out of the deal. I could see them including Jett Williams but if so the rest of the package wouldn’t be full of “headliners” I’m sure Mets will want to keep 1 of Mauricio, Acuna & Williams. Brett Baty, Ryan Clifford & Blade Tidwell are other guys it seems safe to assume they’d be willing to include. Two realistic overpay packages in my eyes are
Jays receive: RHP B.Tidwell, 1B/OF R.Clifford, INF R.Mauricio or L.Acuna, 3B B.Baty, RHP D.Hamel
Or
Jays receive: SS J.Williams, RHP B.Tidwell, 2B/OF J.McNeil(+cash), 3B B.Baty & RHP N.McLean
Jays reject that in a heartbeat.
If the jays rejected either theyre idiots. I pray the mets don’t offer anything close to either
Jays can reject all they want but getting Williams and McLean (both top 100 prospects according to BA 2025 rankings) + others would 100% be enough for 1 year or Vlad.
@Queen Soto Agreed, on one point. The Stearns Mets won’t go near a Vientos-Vlad deal. The upgrade is… what, from 3 WAR to 4.5 WAR and for that the Mets gain the privilege of paying something like $40m for a decade-long Vlad extension, while losing the next 5 seasons of Vientos?
They’d be paying $19m in 2025 for… let’s call it a generous 2 win upgrade. Then they’re paying $160m to Vlad over Vientos’ remaining controllable seasons through 2029, vs projectable salaries around $34m to Vientos. That’s another $126m for 8 wins, total, and now going in to 2030 the Mets can stack Vlad’s $40m a year decline phase on top of Soto’s $51m a year decline phase, and they’ll still be paying an ancient Nimmo and an ancient Lindor $55m combined.
Stearns won’t go near this, and he’s handling this awkward era well for the Met, where the farm isn’t contributing much and the old nucleus is growing steadily older, but they still have a 90 win team for 2025 and haven’t hung themselves with more silly contracts to old FAs like Bregman and, god forbid, Pete.
—In any case, it would be absurd to deal five useful prospects for one year of Vlad even if it’s predicated on a 10/$400m extension. He’s not a 4.5 win upgrade, he’s only an upgrade over the gain from moving Vientos at 1B and creating an opportunity for one of Acuna-Mauricio-Baty at 3B, where fangraphs projects them to 2.5 fWAR.
A 2.0 fWAR upgrade, in short, while blocking young guys? Then combining his aging curve with Soto’s? Not happening. They won’t even go after him in FA.
That’s more of a trade deadline deal. To get Vladdy in this offseason Vientos would have to be included, and the Mets would be fools to do that.
@Purple
Did you see what 2 years of Crochet brought and 1 year of Tucker both making considerable less than Vlad?
Crochet – Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery (both top 100 prospects at time), Chase Meidroth, Wikelman Gonzalez
Tucker – Cam Smith (top 100), Issac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski (both fringey MLB talent).
Like I said before Jays probably don’t accept but let’s not kid ourselves and say the Jetts/McLean + others package is not enough to get Vlad. A deadline deal you’re looking at maybe 1 top 100 guy + a lottery ticket cause that means Jays are most likely out of the running anyway.
It’s not enough to get Vlad in the offseason. I’m not saying, that won’t change at the deadline. I’m also not saying it’s not a fair trade. It’s just what the asking price is right now.
I just don’t get the fit here. Does this mean Vlad moves back to 3rd base full time, or is Santander actually playing LF everyday? I have to say, a left side of the IF featuring Vlad and Bo defensively is… suboptimal…
I just see Profar and Bregman as more logical fits… but perhaps they don’t feel like they are going to be able to sign them.
No way is Vlad playing 3B.
He played it last year a bit. Defensively his strongest asset is his arm, it’s a rocket. He’ll never be a great third baseman, but that was his spot in the minors and when he came up.
In 2019 he was MINUS 20 OUTS ABOVE AVERAGE at 3B.
That’s why they moved him. He played 100 innings in 2024—in short, nothing. It was a sop to a star and his ego during a lost season, nothing more.
exactly, it just doesn’t fit. they would have to trade vlad which is probably what’s going to happen.
They’ve seemingly reached an impasse on extension talks with Vladdy. If they see an opportunity to get Alonso now on a good deal that would open up the possibility of dealing Vladdy to address other areas of need (e.g. pitching, catcher or OF).
See, that actually makes a little sense, if they can get Alonso on a short deal with NO player opt outs. Sign him, pretend he’s the DH, then deal Vlad and pray the fans don’t hang you in effigy.
He won’t play 3rd full time. Most likely on days when Bo DH’s or his off/rest day then they can slide Giminez to SS to help cover the plays Vlad can’t make. .
Why cant Santanter play LF? Varsho can pretty much cover half of LF for him.
1B Vlad
DH Pete
LF Santandar
No one likes a simple solution.
He plays 1B and DH. Probably has an opt out in the deal after this year. This seems like a bargain play and a good one. They just need production. Can figure out the position later.
AL East Dodgers. Let’s go.
Probably a Boras leak to create some Pete news
Get that $ Pete!!!! So much for that family oriented organization you gave your all too. You will be missed in the NL East. Good player and great individual.
Yes he’ll be missed in queens
But Mets offered him 158$ mil
And he said no
Cambo: Loyalty between player and organization is a 2-way street.
This smells of desperation from the Jays. A team that no one wanted to sign with is meeting with a player that no one wanted to sign. Hilarious!
Depends on the price. No one wanted him at $180m. At 3 years and $90m and some opt outs, many would. Or should.
I guess the thought of batting next to Soto caused him to leave too bad. Will it be easier to play in Canada ?
So, the Blue Jays sign bregman, Alonzo, trade for Cease and Suarez, pick up Estevez, Finnegan, Flaherty and defer a billion dollars like the Dodgers did. That way, all the players that shunned the Jays for LA can cry in their soup that the Dodgers aren’t the only team that can outspend the Dodgers and Yankees. Now that would be something to watch unfold and hear all the Dodger fans scream about how unfair it is that another team outdefers the Dodgers for the here and now. So funny. lol The Jays then sign Guerrero to a 450 million contract for 15 years and defer 400 million of it until 2045. If Ohtani can do it, why not the Jays and only have 3 million count against the luxury tax each year. lol The Jays defer 90 percent of the new players salaries.
@ashley – “The Jays then sign Guerrero to a 450 million contract for 15 years and defer 400 million of it until 2045. If Ohtani can do it, why not the Jays and only have 3 million count against the luxury tax each year.”
It doesn’t work that way. The full net present value counts against the luxury tax each year of the contract. Ohtani counts $46M per year against the tax.
I read this alot and my question is…..what good does deferring do for anyone then?
Present day real cash flow vs. Luxury tax computations.
“I read this alot and my question is…..what good does deferring do for anyone then?”
For Ohtani, it helps him avoid California state taxes because he is being paid 10 years after earning it. It’s a law/loophole in the California tax code.
I was being facetious or sarcastic. lol.
@ashley: No – your scenarios were facetious, but you built the “joke” around an incorrect understanding of how the luxury tax computations actually work.
The typical rebound relationship.
You could do a lot worse than a Bichette/Vlad Jr./Santander/Alonso middle of the order. That team would mash.
Especially if after they signed Alonso they said screw it, here’s your 7 years Bregman!! Lol.
Last place team
No – Red Sox and Rays 4 and 5
Rays yeah, sox are a big time sleeper team this yr
Just so you are aware, the Blue Jays finished last in 95, 97, 2004, 2007, 2024, since they won in 93. By contrast, the Red sox have finished last eight times since 93. So, who do you call a last-place team? Do you call the Red Sox a last-place team that finished last the previous three years in a row prior to 2024? lol
Toronto will rue the day when this debacle of a team came together. 2 one-dimensional power hitters (Alonso already showing signs of decline) heading into their 30s. This is the kind of move that gets a GM fired in two or three years.
Maybe wait to see what the contract is like before calling it a debacle? A 2-3 year deal for Alonso isn’t that risky.
Also, Atkins and Shapiro are likely to be fired this season if it doesn’t go well so your second point is moot.
C-Daddy, Atkins may get fired but there is no reason to fire Shapiro as his contract ends at the end of the season
Technically yes, but not giving him an extension is basically the same as firing him.
Exactly why Stearns is staying clear of him.
Pete Alonso wants a large contract when his talent and production does not justify for one.
The good thing is that every team out there knows that hence why no interest in this egg shaped player.
I won’t believe it until he’s on a plane to Toronto
Its only a short drive from NY.
Stymeed – yeah from Buffalo, Fort Erie, or Niagara Falls the ride is short. But NYC to Toronto is most definitely not “short”
NYM made 2 generous offers. He declined. If he chooses to depart, so be it. Au revoir.
10cent – 3 offers if you count the QO
Pete’s not choosing to depart, Stearns was never bringing him back. Meanwhile Boras continues to embarrass himself by trying to embarrass Stearns into bringing Pete back. It’s grotesque. Even for Boras, it’s a sight.
Exactly Jack he’s using everything at his disposal to amp up fake interest on Alonso in hopes that the Mets will alter their offer and reengage him. Not happening, the Mets have pivoted and are OK with it as Alonso is not a consistent hitter and is a poor defender, even at 3 years it’s not worth retaining him. Stearns is a dog and doesn’t allow himself to be influenced or bullied into signing anyone he doesn’t feel that can help the Mets long term.
Son of A…….!!!!
SMH
???
I want the Orioles to get Polar Bear
I think he is going to have a big year
Why? He’s past 30 and has been declining for several years already, and OPACY isn’t exactly a great place to hit for RHBs, even with the LF wall coming back in a bit.
Where would he even play for the Orioles? 1B and DH are already spoken for.
I just don’t buy that Irv (King Floch)
I stand by what I say
Okay, that’s cool man, I also have guys that I just kinda believe will bounce back despite not really having any particular thing to point to in support of it (Trevor Rogers, for example lol), but where would Alonso play with both 1B and DH already filled by good players in Baltimore? I recall you being a big defense guy so I guess you would want to trade O’Hearn so Pete could DH? Because replacing Mountcastle with Alonso at 1B would be an absolutely massive downgrade defensively.
I want to upgrade …trade O Hearn
“with their other contributions a bit more muted”
That is a VERY diplomatic way of putting it lol.
“Waiting to exhale… maybe.”
these talks may be advancing which means talks with with Vlad are not
Maybe this might open up the Castillo and Raley (and others) for Guerrero and Bichette trade with the Mariners. Aw, who am I kidding?
that’s not a thing. mariners reddit telling you this?
If I was Texas I would trade Walcott for Vlad and pay him 10 years 480 million. His little brother Pablo in Rangers single A is a stud.
Please sign Alonso and trade Vladdy (who doesn’t look likely to extend).
M’s offer Castillo and a few prospects in the 6-15 range (and then push to salary dump Haniger to add a pitcher like Pivetta, Montgomery, Scherzer or Lynn to be their new number 5).
If Pete goes, leave Vientos at 3rd and try to trade Baty for Torkelson and then sign Rizzo as his platoon and mentor. DH Torkelson at times. Trade paid down Marte.
Baty isn’t the answer at 3B for the Mets, so he won’t be the answer in Detroit. If he can’t play a better 3B than Vierling, its gonna take a lot of convincing. As to Rizzo, he’s probably one of the few players with less of a market than Alonso. Sign him by all means.
Advancing at the pace of his base running I see.
Best case scenario: Toronto signs Alonso for what he wants and extends Vlad as well. Mets cry.
They’ll forgot him quickly with Soto-Lindor.
If they lose both, they won’t. Vladdy is under all of their pillows.
Vlad is going free agent. Unless he gets traded to a team like the Mets, who will give him a monster deal.
Maybe, maybe not. I feel like if he rejects them, then they’d be silly not to cash out with a massive haul.
Yeah, he could wait until free agency to get that haul but he could get traded to a team who gives him exactly what he wants. Then there’s no risk in going out and having a season that might cost him some money. Who knows?
No I mean, the Jays should get a huge haul for him right now. I doubt they’ll let him leave for nothing.
Oh, OK. Sorry I misunderstood. I totally agree with you. If they can’t sign him to an extension, they should trade him and get the best package they can get. And I think it makes more sense to trade him now because they’ll get more now than at the trade deadline for sure.
Im a jays fan and a smart gm/owner would sell now amd really kick start a rebuild and hopfully take 2-4 years off the length of a rebuild. But will all the money spent in renovations they are not going to offically rebuild for at least 2 years
Bregman 3rd, Bo 2B, 1B Guerrero DH Polar Bear with Santander in OF ballahhhhh kid
Mariners lose again!
I’ll wait for someone other than Martino to report this. He’s not the most trustworthy. Not saying he’s necessarily wrong but he can be sometimes.
I can’t see Vlad playing 3B long term so this would be interesting if beyond a year deal
The Mets only want to give a 3 year deal to cover ages 30-32 because their metrics tell them a RH first baseman numbers don’t warrant a deal beyond those years
Vlad Guerrero is going to get a 10 year deal from someone.
If the Mets sign Vlad next off-season to replace Alonso, they will have a RH first baseman well beyond his age 32 season.
@Sunday Lasagna Which is among the many reasons they’re not signing Guerrero next offseason.
Imagine the 2029 Mets
Soto, 30, $51m
Lindor, 35, 34m
Nimmo 36, 20.5m
Guerrero Jr 30, 40m
A collection of antiques at $145m for the four. With 3 more years of Lindor, 2 more years of Nimmo, 6 more years of Guerrero Jr, and 10 more years of Soto.
If the jays sign Alonso , they will lock up Vlad Jr
I’m really looking forward to hearing who they finish runner up to.
The Mets sign Soto but lose Alonso. It’s an upgrade, but not as it would be having both in the lineup.
Mets gave all that money to Soto but failed to add to the rotation , They added Holmes & resigned Manena. That’s not good enough , They needed a Burns or trade for A Castillo. They will be lucky to finish 3rd or 4th
Yeah, and did you have them in the NLCS last year? I would love them to add to the rotation, but I’m going to put my faith in a guy who seems to know what he’s doing more than you or me.
I don’t think the Mets are done. There are a lot for players left to sign or even trade for.
I don’t think they do either
How would you know that?
Pete Alonso rejected a 7yrs/$158M offer from the Mets. Pete Alonso rejected 1yr/$21.05M from the Mets. Finally, Pete Alonso rejected a 3yr/$70M offer from the Mets. The Mets wanted Pete Alonso. Pete Alonso doesn’t want to be a Met.
I think most employees want a “bag” from their employer.
His 3 year offer was below $70m. It was in the 60s. Makes a difference because he probably would’ve signed for 70m.
Id be onboard for the Jays to sign him for 3/70. Then Vlad for 12/450
That’s what the Mets offered him so if he had to settle for one or the other he would run back to the Mets where he is familiar. The Jays would have to give him more.
Pete didn’t reject these deals. He had to have at least an inkling of what he was getting in to as a Boras client. Right?
Pete has the Cohen syndrome, he believes that richest owner in baseball should overpay for his services. Pete believes that his value is far superior than that of Olson and Freeman. Pete believes that his rookie season when he hit 53hrs should be taken into consideration when it comes to his worth. Pete believes that having an agent like Boras will facilitate all the above for him. HE GOT IT ALL WRONG. The last offer from the Mets was generous and he rejected it that’s why the Mets have pivoted from Alonso and rightfully so.
3/64 is generous? That’s sort of an insult. The offer last year was generous for sure, but the most recent offer was a slap in the face.
Take a look at Alonso’s post season batting stats. He comes through under pressure when a lot of other good hitters fail. I think he’d be an important asset to almost any club.
I don’t understand why the Blue Jays would want Pete Alonso…So then you’ll have 3 DH’s at least, and at least 2 first baseman’s….So, are they going to trade Vlad, who is frankly better than Alonso? Why not just offer Vlad a huge extension? That’d be funny if Vlad was traded to the Mets and the Mets were like “lol, thanks for the upgrade!” Then I know they’d sign Vlad to some outrageous contract extension.
That is exactly what’s going to happen. Vlady wants the spotlight and NYC provides that, plus NYC has a large Dominican population and his friend Soto is on the Mets. Mark my words, Vlady will not sign an extension with the Jays, he wants to do the same thing Soto did.
So it would be Guerrero and Alonso splitting time at 1B and DH if this does happen, I’d assume. Unless Vladdy goes back to 3B, which that depends if he wants to move back. Good luck Blue Jays fans!
Will they play rock-paper-scissors, loser takes the field, or just alternate days of the week?
So this means that Alonso and dodgers contract is coming soon.
I’ll watch a power-only righty any day of the week over whatever the hell it was that we had to watch last year.
Hopefully the Jays will hold firm on NO OPT-OUT and NO NTC. Teams need to set a precedent with Boras clients.
Assuming TOR shops Vlad, what kind of a return would it take to get him? One year and he will 99.9% hit the market next year,
I doubt they trade him even after if they sign Alonso. They are gonna go for it. If they sign Quintana as their fifth starter they can make some noise.
Slightly less than the Kyle Tucker trade who has given more consistent performance.
3 big boppers in that lineup if this happens. I still have my doubts, but this would be a fun squad to watch.
Should be a zany “Amazin Day” this Saturday @ Citi Field if Alonso departs. Forget that Alonso at many points in last 2 seasons resembled post rookie season Ike Davis. Don’t let the truth get in the way of suburban nostalgia
He’s now a Chris Davis, ask any Oriole fan how did they feel back then after signing Davis to that big contract, they got almost no production from him as he fleeced them, this is exactly what will happen to the team that signs Alonso, the difference however is that teams will probably only go 3 years which can sooth the disappointment of signing him.
The Mets already have Soto, Vientos, and Baty who shouldn’t play the field, and Marte but they should sign Alonso? Seems to be a lot of discussion about teams that don’t need a DH looking to add another DH.
I swear, reading some of these u would think vlad is 400 lbs. He was fine last year
Interesting if this comes to fruition.
Would the Jays move Vladdy back to 3rd to make room for Pete. Would Pete and Vladdy split 1B and DH? Would Pete just be a DH and spell Vladdy once a week?
Bregman would definitely be the cleaner fit, but it sounds like there’s no talks around him coming North of the border.
Predict a 3yr/90M contract with opt out after 1st year. 30M a year with 10M a year deferred to bring the aav and cbt down quite a bit. Alonso gets the 30M he wanted and Jays get the player at a lower aav.
I don’t see the Blue Jays signing Alonso. It sounds like it would be an awkward fit, with negative repercussions for both Guerrero and Santander. But we’ll find out.
If the Jays want to DH him then hint-hint he’ll take over 1B when Vlad leaves in FA if not at the trade Deadline, he’ll do it.
Just heard he is on a plane to Seattle.
A Blue Jays team that can hit homers? Oh man we’d be back
Vlad to the Red Sox once Alonso is signed.
that is a sneaky good suspicion my man. i won’t be shocked if it comes to fruition.
Why? The Red Sox have a 1B. He just happens to stand over near 3rd at this time on the wrong side of the diamond…..
He would totally mash at Fenway. But yeah, it’s just a pipe dream.
Not happening, the Mets have the best prospect package for him. Fact is if Vlad is traded to the Red Sox he won’t sign an extension as he’s going to test the market and that’s where Cohen will come in an outbid everyone. So the Red Sox will be hesitant to trade for him unless he agrees to an extension prior to the trade and that’s not happening.
Profar to Atlanta, Bregman possibly back to Houston so that leaves Alonso for the Jays. A team with money to spend and a player without a contract seems to match up well here. It would also soften the blow for the inevitable Guerrero departure, and also give the Jays the opportunity to shop Vlad ahead of training camp
This is probably how this is all going to pan out.
Orioles just simply need to swoop in and get the Polar Bear signed
I don’t see this as a big gamble…I see it as an almost lock…that the Polar Bear has a big year
Boras, who is the Harvey Weinstein of agents, getting all the NY beat writers to dance on command.
Has them all in his pocket ready to spread fake news.
Maybe Pete does end up in Toronto but be sure that Boras is using the Jays to try and squeeze a few million more from the richest owner in baseball. The Mets will get a chance to match or exceed any offer that Pete gets but this would probably be the last chance.
The Mets ‘last chance’ at Pete was when Eppler was Cohen’s ass’t GM.
The Mets have a number and won’t go beyond, fact is the Mets don’t want him back. Their offer of 3 years 68-70mil is final and that is clearly overpay for a flawed first baseman who’s best years are behind him. Pete is totally inconsistent offensively and a poor defender at that. If the Mets want to build a winner it starts by not signing Alonso as he doesn’t make the team better.
The Mets pretty much walked away already, it’s how we got here in the first place. I see the Mets pursuing Vlad Jr. next season and that’s one of the reasons why they wouldn’t commit to Alonso long-term in the post-Eppler era
The Blue Jays are like the new Giants — trying to land big free agency fishies, but getting outbid by the sharks. Both struggle a bit with public perceptions about their locations that are at least in part driven by politics. And both get used as leverage by said fishies who say close, but no cigar.
If he goes there I called it weeks ago. Polar bear goes north. Right after Vladdy passed on the big offer. Just saying.
That’s the likely scenario and one that the Mets are ready to pounce on, hence the reason why a reunion with Pete Alonso is no more. Once February 13 passes that’s when the Jays will make the move. My guess of all the teams that would like to trade for Guerrero, the one with the best package of prospects would be the Mets. The Mets can also throw in McNeil as the Jays could use his versatility to play the infield and outfield.
So NY reporters all pushing it is advanced so what, the Mets step in again? Sounds like they’ve been shilling for Alonso while the Toronto guys getting their info from Blue Jays who want to tamp down reports to avoid more disappointment
1B will be crowded but Guerrero can platoon with Clement at 3B as it was his original position. Alonso also signals that we’re not in with Bregman to allow for the position change. Sets up FO to deal Vlad somewhere and get another pitcher and OF and C.
Guerrero Jr had been a mixed bag, great hitter locked in for HR’s is fun, but overall he’s not a mature player. Every single time he called for a review after getting tagged out at 2nd on an overrun, he lost. Having some kind of HR ritual in the clubhouse is normal now but it doesn’t mean I have to like The Jacket and how that’s foisted upon players. Also the water dunks I’ve grown weary of it all.
Otherwise this is all just another Jays media Gremlin Giggle to the fans if we can’t close the deal. Shi was wrong about Santander and we ended up signing him, so I won’t take his comment as relevant
If Alonso finally accepts a shorter deal I think DET might be a good fit for him. If he accepts 3 years.
Any thoughts – anyone but especially DET fans.
They could still keep Tork and decide later in the year to trade him if they decide that is for the best. Seems impatient to give up on Tork.
They should be able to get a decent return for him. I wouldn’t make a hasty judgement on so few ABs but that’s me.
Harris has already decided to move Colt Keith to a new position, 1B, so he could sign Torres to play 2B. Alonso doesn’t fit for that reason. Actually Torres doesn’t fit for that reason. I think another year of patience with Tork would likely have a better result than one year of Torres. Keith does not have the power you would want from a 1B, and was looking solid at 2B as the year progressed. His bat would play better there. The Tigers need RH power. Tork isn’t a sure thing, but is the closest thing to an answer they have on the roster. Even if they sign Bregman, Torkelson still has more pop potential. Let the Kids play!
Jay’s are prolonging it to see if someone else will swoop in and spare them from the deal so they can say they tried
Another attempt by Boras to stir interest in his client. I have not heard anything from the Jays that would indicate they are in on Alonso. Fact is he’s being mentioned by Boras paid sports writers to spread the news about teams mentioned as a potential Pete Alonso suitors, not that the team has expressed any interest. Again, a ploy by Boras in order to stir interest in his client when no one wants to go there. When Alonso realizes that his worth is somewhere in the 15-18mil for 3 years or less, then and only then will he find a suitor, until then enjoy your summer off Pete.
Can you imagine the laughs the Mets front office must have at Martino’s expense behind closed doors.
Imagine having Vlad, Santander and Alonso in the middle of your lineup hitting the Dome for 81 games a year?
Alonso WAR for 2024 was 2.6, much lower than guys like Miguel Rojas at 3.5.. Obviously more power from Alonso but teams hesitating to pay him superstar money at these WAR numbers.