It's nearly impossible to predict how the New York Mets' offseason is going to go. On one hand, everybody thought they'd be in the market for the top pitchers like Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, and Max Fried. They still might be, but Snell has signed and the Mets signed Frankie Montas already.
Of course, there's the Juan Soto sweepstakes, in which the Mets are highly involved. But you can't forget about the team's fan-favorite first baseman, Pete Alonso, who's also a free agent this winter and is reportedly searching for a contract worth over $150 million.
If the Mets aren't careful, they could watch Alonso sign with a team like the New York Yankees or the Seattle Mariners. Even worse, they could watch the slugger sign within the National League East with a hated rival.
Manny Randhawa of MLB.com thinks that's a very realistic possibility, as he directly linked Alonso to one of New York's biggest rivals.
"The (Washington) Nationals have been a popular dark-horse pick for landing Alonso," Randhawa wrote. "As Washington moves closer to contention following a rebuild, with young stars showing they belong in the Majors and significant financial flexibility this offseason, Alonso could be the star veteran they need to take a big step forward in 2025."
The Nationals would be quite a surprise team to land themselves in this kind of spending range, but remember, Washington offered Juan Soto a contract extension worth well over $300 million a few years ago. The Nationals have more money than it seems and they're willing to spend it. Alonso isn't out of their price range.
If the Mets let him land within the division, they could be left kicking themselves in the behinds for the next four to six years.
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