Pete Alonso Free Agency Shock: Mets Slugger Poised for Record $300M Deal as Rival Teams Circle

Slugger Pete Alonso has rocketed back into offseason headlines as his opt-out officially places one of baseball’s most consistent power bats on the open market. With 48 homers and a 146 OPS+ in 2025, the 31-year-old is generating immediate buzz around both a possible return to the New York Mets and a bidding war that could stretch from Boston to Baltimore. Mets move first, but nothing sealed The Mets have already opened contract talks, and early conversations are reportedly smoother than last winter’s drawn-out negotiation. Club officials still view Alonso’s right-handed thunder as the easiest way to anchor a lineup now built around Juan Soto, but they are pushing for flexibility: the team wants him to accept intermittent starts at designated hitter to shore up sub-par first-base defense. Red Sox, Orioles headline suitors • Boston’s front office is hunting middle-order power after Alex Bregman reached free agency; Fenway Park’s inviting Green Monster could turn Alonso’s pulled line drives into 40-homer seasons even on a down year. • Baltimore needs a proven right-handed bat to balance its lefty-heavy core; Alonso’s career .905 OPS vs. southpaws makes him a natural fit, though defensive metrics worry the pitching-first Orioles. • “Mystery team” watch: Seattle, San Diego and the Cubs lurk with payroll space if prices drop. Alonso embraces DH role Agent Scott Boras confirmed his client is “open” to spending time at DH—an admission that widens his market to any AL club prioritizing offense over glove work. In 2025 Alonso posted –9 Defensive Runs Saved but still finished with 4.1 fWAR thanks to elite exit velocity and a top-five hard-hit percentage. Contract outlook Industry projections hover around four years and $110 million, yet Boras is expected to seek a five-plus-option structure that could push guarantees to $140-150 million. Front-loaded, shorter-term offers (three years, $90 million) may appeal to big-market contenders looking to dodge long-term DH clog. Timeline to watch • November 20-23: GM Meetings; first formal offers expected. • Early December: Winter Meetings in Dallas—historically fertile ground for Boras megadeals. • If no agreement by New Year’s, clubs could pivot to younger NPB star Munetaka Murakami, forcing Alonso’s camp to reassess asking price. Bottom line With league-leading power numbers, newfound DH openness and multiple contenders jockeying for impact bats, Pete Alonso’s free-agency saga is shaping up as the hottest story of the 2025-26 hot-stove season.