Yankees’ Juan Soto Revenge May Be to Poach Projected $174 Million Rival Star

The New York Yankees have some money to spend given the team is not giving superstar Juan Soto a $700 million contract. New York has already signed two-time All-Star pitcher Max Fried, but there are still additional roster moves that need to be made.

The Yankees could get a bit of revenge on the New York Mets for poaching Soto by signing star slugger Pete Alonso. The Athletic’s Tyler Kepner floated Alonso as an option but added that Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker could be a better signing.

“Signing first baseman Pete Alonso would be a direct counterpunch to the Mets’ deal for Soto,” Kepner wrote in a December 11, 2024, story titled, “The Yankees can’t replace Juan Soto. But their pivot plan has a powerful echo.”

“But Alonso is 30 and would command a longer deal than Christian Walker, 34, who has won three Gold Gloves in a row at first base for the Arizona Diamondbacks. A deal for Walker — think three years — could be a fit.”

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Mets Star Pete Alonso’s Market Value is Projected to Be a 6-Year, $174 Million Contract in MLB Free Agency

Landing Alonso could be pricey as Spotrac projects Alonso’s market value to be a six-year, $174 million contract. Alonso’s resume includes being a four-time All-Star, Rookie of the Year winner and two-time Home Run Derby champion.

The first baseman hit .240, 146 hits, 88 RBI and 34 home runs while playing in all 162 games for the Mets in 2024. With the exception of 2020, Alonso has been remarkably durable playing in at least 150 games in five of his six MLB seasons. The Mets insist the club still has a desire to re-sign Alonso, who has been one of the faces of the franchise.

“We’d love to bring Pete back,” Mets president David Stearns said at the winter meetings on December 9, per ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. “Pete’s been a great Met. He had some enormous hits for us, and we’ll see where that goes.”

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Pete Alonso’s Agent Scott Boras on MLB Free Agent Market for Slugger: ‘The Polar Bear Express Is Rolling’

On the other side, Alonso’s agent Scott Boras is attempting to drum up business for the slugger. The baseball power agent noted that the “Polar Express is rolling” regarding Alonso’s market in free agency.

“A lot of market locomotion regarding Pete, the Polar Bear Express is rolling,” Boras noted at the winter meetings on December 11, per New York Post’s Mike Puma. “Power in this game is such a commodity and you can see as we filter through the market the availability of power is something most teams recognize as a core lineup need.”

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The Yankees Have an Interest in Mets First Baseman Pete Alonso: Insider

There does seem to be some smoke to at least preliminary interest from the Yankees in Alonso. It is an added bonus that the Yankees could pluck a star away from the team’s crosstown rival just as the Mets did with Soto.

“The nice thing about saving $760 million is that you have plenty of spending money to spread around,” New York Post’s Jon Heyman wrote in a December 11, article titled, “Yankees targeting Cubs’ Cody Bellinger — but money issues remain in pursuit.” “Which explains how the Yankees can pursue a smorgasbord of stars — including Cody Bellinger, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso, Christian Walker and Anthony Santander — with the assumption they still have multiple big moves to go.

“… The Yankees are also considering Alonso or Walker. Alonso, beloved by Mets fans, is also said to have some interest in going to the Yankees if the Mets never seriously engage with him. (The Yankees also might not mind poaching Alonso after their $760M bid to retain superstar Juan Soto was topped by the Mets’ winning offer of $765M.)”

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