With less than a month to go until pitchers and catchers report for duty, Major League Baseball’s offseason is beginning to wind down. That leaves teams with a precious few weeks left to apply the finishing touches to their rosters. Below, CBS Sports has compiled all of Thursday’s most notable news, rumors, and moves in one convenient landing spot.
Mets final offer on Alonso
The Mets and longtime first baseman Pete Alonso have continued to negotiate on a possible reunion through much of the offseason, but nothing has come together yet. On Thursday, the New York Post reported that the Mets had made a “last-ditch” offer and then, once rejected, “began their pivot away” from Alonso. The reported deal offered was for three years and somewhere in the ballpark of $68 million to $70 million.
Hours before the report, the Mets agreed to a one-year reunion with veteran Jesse Winker and will now reportedly focus on the bullpen — notably free agent lefty Tanner Scott.
The indication therein is that the Mets have come to believe Alonso’s time with the ballclub is over, barring something unforeseen.
Our own Mike Axisa recently dug into whether a short-term deal like the aforementioned offer would make sense for either Alonso or the Mets (or another team).
Alonso, 30, has spent his entire career to date with the Mets. Across six seasons, he’s batted .249/.339/.514 (134 OPS+) with 226 home runs. His contributions have been worth an estimated 19.8 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference. Alonso is a four-time All-Star honoree and a two-time Home Run Derby champion.
CBS Sports ranked Alonso as the 11th-best free agent available entering the winter. At the time, we noted he could be in for a chilly reception because “he’s also a righty-hitting first baseman nearing his 30th birthday. Teams have shown they’ll make exceptions for generational talents, an Albert Pujols or a Miguel Cabrera, but Alonso falls short of that measuring stick.”
It’s worth noting that The Athletic reports other teams are still involved in the Alonso bidding, including the Blue Jays. Should Toronto land Alonso, the expectation is that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would remain in place.
Earlier this week, CBS Sports noted that the Blue Jays, coming off a miserable season, find themselves at a crossroads and could use some clarity on their short- and long-term direction:
The other option entails focusing on their short-term competitiveness, no matter the long-term consequences, by upgrading the roster around Guerrero and Bichette. Mind you, if the Blue Jays were going to take that kind of aggressive stance to the offseason, they probably would’ve already done it by ensuring they landed some of their previous targets. While Sasaki’s youth makes him the rare free agent who is a sensible target no matter which way the Blue Jays end up going, a failure to woo him may leave the Blue Jays without another opportunity this offseason to add an impact talent to their roster. (“May” because there are still a few quality free agents remaining, like Alex Bregman and Jack Flaherty, and it’s possible that the trade market could offer a few splashes between now and Opening Day.)
The Blue Jays are also one of the three finalists for Japanese ace Roki Sasaki. The Dodgers and Padres are also believed to be in the running.
Jays, Guerrero extension talks to ‘accelerate’
Speaking of Guerrero, The Athletic reports the following:
The Blue Jays have not spoken to Guerrero’s camp about an extension since before Christmas, according to a source briefed on the conversations. However, those talks are expected to accelerate before Guerrero’s self-imposed deadline of Feb. 17, the day before the Jays hold their first full workout for pitchers and position players.
Remember, the 25-year-old Guerrero is set to hit free agency after the 2025 season. He’s already a four-time All-Star and finished AL MVP runner-up in 2021 to two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. Last season, Guerrero hit .323/.396/.544 (166 OPS+) with 44 doubles, 30 homers, 103 RBI, 98 runs and 6.2 WAR.
The Blue Jays will not only need to convince Guerrero to sign an extension with money, but also with the direction of the franchise, in all likelihood.
Padres grab backup catcher
The Padres have agreed to terms on a deal with free agent catcher Martín Maldonado, reports The Athletic.
Maldonado, 38, hit .119/.174/.230 with -1.3 WAR for the White Sox last season. He’s long been known as a defense-first backstop with a cannon for an arm who works well with pitchers. The Astros swore by him for years and he won a ring with them in 2022.
Luis Campusano is the Padres’ starting catcher.
