Pete, the Friendly Ghost

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The Mets are probably done shopping this offseason. Any additions or subtractions at this point will be complementary to the big acquisitions and departures. So I think it’s fair to ask, just this one time, if not offering Pete Alonso a five-year contract was a good idea. 

Let’s assume if the Mets signed Alonso to the five-year, $155 million deal that the Baltimore Orioles gave him, then it wouldn’t have impacted the moves the Mets did end up making. (Keep in mind that, while Steve Cohen gave David Stearns a budget of roughly $350 million, they recently blew past that when trading for Luis Robert Jr. And Cohen can afford it.) Look at what the lineup could have been:

Francisco Lindor SS

Bo Bichette 3B

Juan Soto RF

Pete Alonso DH

Jorge Polanco 1B

Francisco Alvarez C

Brett Baty/Carson Benge LF

Luis Robert Jr CF

Marcus Semien 2B

Personally, I prefer that to the actual projected lineup as it stands today, in this timeline:

Francisco Lindor SS

Juan Soto RF

Bo Bichette 3B

Jorge Polanco 1B

Francisco Alvarez C

Brett Baty/Carson Benge LF

Mark Vientos/Brett Baty DH

Luis Robert Jr. CF

Marcus Semien 2B

It’s too top-heavy. You have the three all-stars, and then a bunch of question marks. Alonso in the lineup allows Bichette to bat in front of Soto, taking advantage of his unique in this day and age ability of hitting for a high batting average. Instead, without the Polar Bear, Bichette is going to have to hit behind Soto so Soto is not walked 300 times this season. 

I’m not bringing Alonso up randomly. For one thing, the Orioles recently held a Fan Fest or whatever it is they call them over there in Maryland. Alonso, from what I can tell from Bluesky, charmed the audience full of Orioles fans. Of course he did. He even told the Dave Matthews Band tour bus in Chicago pooping story in his own special way. When I read that he did this, I immediately remembered an Anthony DiComo article published last summer that revealed Alonso to be the unofficial tour bus guide of the team. When in Chicago, he would always tell that gross Dave Matthews Band story. I’m not mad that he recycled it, but like an ex, I smile knowing that was our story first. 

Probably not healthy, I know.

Anyway, Joel Sherman wrote a very interesting article in the New York Post over the weekend that brought to light previously untold insight behind the Mets’ offseason (thus far). Here’s the paragraph about Alonso:

They also internally thought Alonso would not get to a five-year deal and that maybe with a three-year or potentially four-year offer they would retain the Polar Bear, especially because they already had found him amenable to their vision of using him as a DH in five out of every seven games.

So there you have it: Alonso was willing to pretty much give up first base. Now the question is: Why wouldn’t you give Pete Alonso a five-year contract if he was willing to be the designated hitter? I believe I know Stearns’ logic: he didn’t want the DH role to be claimed for five seasons. Juan Soto is going to DH and/or play first base eventually. Perhaps also Stearns thinks $30+ million a year for a designated hitter is a silly investment. 

I get all that. I still think it was a mistake to let him walk, especially if you were willing to go four years. He’s apparently not a problem in the clubhouse (otherwise the front office wouldn’t have even considered a three-year contract) and is a fan favorite/local folk hero. And he lengthens the lineup. And he won’t get your pitchers murdered anymore on throws to the bag. 

But what’s done is done. I like what the Mets did this offseason more than I dislike it. It just could have been so much better. 

There was a lot more new info from Sherman worth talking about:

- Had the Mets not landed Bo Bichette and Freddy Peralta, they would have traded for Brendan Donovan of the Cardinals and signed Chris Bassitt or Zac Gallen. Thank goodness they got Bo Bichette and Freddy Peralta.

- The Rangers had a reason for trading Marcus Semien to the Mets - his relationship with teammate Corey Seager grew “toxic.” In other words, the Mets and Rangers traded clubhouse headaches - in Arlington, Brandon Nimmo won’t be fighting Francisco Lindor over the captaincy of the team. The Mets, per Sherman, were “ecstatic” that they landed Semien because he made them much stronger up the middle defensively, plus they worried about having Nimmo and Soto languishing in the corner outfield spots for five years.

- The Mets were “much deeper” on Kyle Schwarber than previously known. They would have had him DH for four seasons because of his mashing skills and clubhouse leadership reputation. But in the end they figured they would have had to blow the Phillies’ offer out of the water to convince Schwarbo to leave. (They’d get one over the Phillies with Bichette six weeks later.)

- Stearns was “infatuated” with the idea of Kyle Tucker on the Mets because of his “elite swing decisions.”

- The Mets believe Jorge Polanco could play first base better than Pete Alonso, even though Polanco has played all of one inning there in the majors. We kind of figured that, but seeing it in print? Ouch. If it doesn’t work out, Mark Vientos and Brett Baty will handle 1B and Polanco will DH.

-  After the Mets signed Bichette, Stearns called Brett Baty to assure him they’ll find 500 at-bats for him as a super utility guy (LF/3B/1B/DH). Baty did play left field in the minors, as we mentioned last week.

- The Mets were “on the brink” of re-signing Tyler Rogers to a three-year, $36 million deal, but unfortunately the Blue Jays added a vesting option that New York (NL) wouldn’t match.

- The Mets inquired about Tarik Skubal, and “got the impression” it would have taken their five best prospects to nab him. Thanks but no thanks.

- The Brewers had asked the Mets for a third prospect in any deal for Freddy Peralta for awhile. When they finally asked for just two, plus offered to throw in Tobias Myers, Stearns decided to pull the trigger.

The Mets signed longtime late-inning reliever Craig Kimbrel to a minor league contract with an invite to major league spring training. “Dirty Craig” is 37 and now on his tenth team, but he did appear in 14 games last season and pitched to a 2.25 ERA (4.22 FIP). A very “Sure, why not?” signing. 

SNY in-game director John DeMarsico announced he was leaving the network, hinting at “creative differences.” Soon after, a couple of social media accounts claimed he was actually fired. I’m waiting for more reliable sources to get to the truth of the matter. 

The Mets are more comfy having Carson Benge play left instead of center, according to Pat Ragazzo. He “projects” better as a corner outfielder, the team believes.

Carlos Mendoza appeared on the Foul Territory podcast. He claimed he hasn’t decided yet where he’ll put Lindor/Bichette/Soto in his starting lineups. Don’t mess this up, Mendy…

MLB Pipeline revealed their preseason top 100 prospect list. Four Mets farmhands made the list: Nolan McLean (#6), Carson Benge (#16), Jonah Tong (#48), A.J. Ewing (#97). They would have had six youths on the list, but they traded Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams away.

The Mariners acquired RHP Cooper Criswell from the Mets for cash. Criswell was DFA’d last week.

Mike Petriello at MLB.com investigated if the Mets solved their “run prevention” problem. The conclusion found Petriello claiming to be “cautiously optimistic” that they did.

10 years ago today, Yoenis Céspedes signed a three-year, $75 million contract to stay with the Mets after his awesome late 2015 run. He would opt-out after the 2016 season, then sign a four-year deal, which ended up being a mistake.