This offseason has been about waiting for the dominoes to fall.
Many projected big spenders, like the New York Yankees and New York Mets, are waiting for the Juan Soto sweepstakes to play out until making deals.
And per a recent report, the Seattle Mariners could benefit from Soto’s negotiations, despite not being in the mix for the star outfielder.
MLB Network insider Jon Heyman has reported that the Mets are the favorites to re-sign first baseman Pete Alonso. He also reported that the Washington Nationals and Mariners are both in the mix.
This report is surprising given Seattle owner/chairman John Stanton saying the team doesn’t plan to spend big in free agency. Alonso has a market value of six-years, $174 million according to Spotrac ($29 million AAV). But reports have indicated that Alonso, represented by prolific agent Scott Boras, can search for a contract in excess of $200 million.
Alonso’s projected annual salary would be more than double what the Mariners’ are rumored to have in available payroll. But Seattle has been involved in trade talks with several teams and could possibly free up some money in a trade.
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Alonso is coming off two “down” seasons (by his standards). He hit .217 in 2023 and .240 in 2024. But he also had 46 homers and 118 RBIs in 2023 and 34 home runs with 88 RBIs in 2024. He’s also coming off a postseason run where he helped lead New York to the National League Championship Series. He batted .273 with four home runs and 10 RBIs in 13 playoff games.
Alonso is one of the main people to fall victim to the Soto sweepstakes. The Mets are one of the final teams in the running to sign Soto. Several reports have said that Soto’s contract can be as much as $700 million, and it’s hard to imagine New York being willing to meet Alonso’s $200 million demand after shelling out that much money on Soto.
This could leave the Mariners in position to land Alonso’s services at a discounted price.
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