It all started with the Houston Astros getting turned away in their attempt to trade for Nolan Arenado. Their backup plan? Signing Christian Walker to a three-year deal, locking down their corner infield. The next day, the Yankees pulled the trigger on a one-year deal with former MVP Paul Goldschmidt. Then, the Arizona Diamondbacks brought in All-Star Josh Naylor from Cleveland.

As if that wasn’t enough! The Washington Nationals got in on the action, swinging a trade with Texas to snag Nathaniel Lowe. In 48 hours, five big-name first basemen were on the move. The first-base market had gone from being frozen to sizzling hot in the blink of an eye. But then, there is Pete Alonso. Despite all the activities and the wave of transactions involving first basemen, Alonso’s name is still floating out there with no serious traction.

The Mets have leverage right now in the Pete Alonso situation

In the most recent edition of The Mets Pod, Joe DeMayo and Connor Rogers are ringing in 2025, discussing the Mets’ current situation in the Pete Alonso sweepstakes. Rogers said, “I think the Mets are in a position of leverage.” With Steve Cohen as the team’s owner, the analyst thinks that Cohen will get the final say because he has the most money. And Scott Boras, Alonso’s agent, has been known to secure some of the highest deals for his clients. Well, he is doing the same with Alonso. Now, Connor Rogers gave a hypothetical example to explain why the Mets may have leverage. What’s that?

If the Giants are really interested and offer Pete Alonso a deal of three years and $84 million, Scott Boras is going to take the deal over to the Mets. The strategy is simple. It is a known fact that Alonso wants to remain a Met, and they have the money. The leverage here is straightforward: the Mets can match any offer that the other team can give. In this case, the player will only get three to four years. That is sad considering Alonso was once getting deals near to five or six years.

The second leverage the Mets have

What if they lose Pete Alonso? Well, things might be okay. It is not like when the Yankees lost Juan Soto and all went downhill. The club has other options like Mark Vientos. He can move to first, and then the crew can pivot to different options. There’s a chance the fans will not like these changes as they have been a Pete Alonso-favorite.

However, the club cannot just sit and wait for him, right? The squad has other options, and they can use that. If this scenario plays out, Nolan Arenado can be a temporary fix. Yes, the guy will be 34 next season, but he still is an above-average third baseman. “Sometimes you begin to overvalue your in-house guys, and you completely wipe away all external options,” Connor Rogers shared on the Mets Pod podcast.

Let’s be real here. The Mets are not offering a long-term contract to Pete Alonso because there is no reason for that. But what if some other team offers him that? Will the Mets be able to match them? We don’t know. But Pete Alonso is surely testing his market by waiting so much, and with Scott Boras by his side, Alonso seems almost sure he will get what he wants.

What are your thoughts? Share with us in the comments below.