Yankees missing perfect chance to get revenge on Mets after lowball Pete Alonso offer

It turns out, the New York Yankees mistimed (or misplayed) free agency once again. It's an annual tale. But fans can't really fault them for this particular incident. Nobody saw Pete Alonso's fall from grace occurring so swiftly.

Reports from Thursday unofficially brought an end to Alonso's relationship with the Mets, who believe the All-Star slugger "will play elsewhere in 2025 and beyond." That increased speculation across the board for teams in need of a first baseman.

For our storytelling purposes, the Yankees don't quite come into the picture yet. They were never going to spend the rumored big bucks to sign Alonso (~7 years, ~$200 million), so it didn't matter. Plus, they signed Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year deal that gives them a ton of flexibility. Cased closed.

Then again, it'd be nice not to play against Alonso 13 times a year, as the Toronto Blue Jays remain a fit for him (though that means Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is probably gone, so we really can't nitpick). The nightmare would be if the Boston Red Sox or Baltimore Orioles emerged as a suitor.

Well, guess what? It's entirely possible they might after what Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported later on.

According to Sherman, the Mets' last offer to Alonso was for three years and in the $60-$70 million range. That is ... an embarrassing lowball (if true) for Steve Cohen, who has very clearly limited his spending after the $765 million contract for Juan Soto. What happened to endless pockets?!

Maybe the Mets don't want him back. It's plausible. Alonso's struggles in 2024 were concerning and he just turned 30, so some general managers may not be on board with a sizeable commitment to such a player. But we're talking about a six- or seven-year deal ... not a three-year!

Had the Yankees not signed Goldschmidt, they could have easily swooped in and paid Alonso the three-year, ~$90 million contract he reportedly desired in the most recent round of negotiations. Or, at least, the Yankees would've been able to stomach it. But, most importantly, it would've added invaluable flair to the Subway Series. On paper, it'd look silly to see Alonso and Soto switch places year over year and think the Yankees somehow benefitted. But knowing these reportedly details of the ongoing situation, it would've been a redemption story for the ages.

Now, it opens the door for other AL rivals and contenders to take a shot at signing Alonso to a discounted deal — something he might be amenable to with a different team just to stick it to the Mets after what can be viewed as fairly outrageous disrespect for a homegrown franchise player.

Last offseason, the Yankees were on the wrong end of a scenario like this with Blake Snell. Adding Alonso after a troubling falling out with the Mets would've been a proper way to rebound from that.