There is a feeling that things are perking up in Toronto Blue Jays land. The roster is taking shape around the acquisition of bullpen and lineup pieces that should make a meaningful impact on this year's squad. They are finding people to take their money. Could a breakdown in negotiations surrounding the market's top power bat allow them to swoop in and land another free agent?
Even with the acquisition of Anthony Santander, the Blue Jays have room in the nest for more electricity in the lineup. Free agent Pete Alonso is still on the board, and can add even more thump to a lineup that will need it to compete in the AL East. Would it create a positional logjam with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in his final year under team control? Yes, but you worry about that later for a club that posted abysmal offensive production last season.
Which brings us to New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and his appearance at the club's winter event in New York. Cohen and the Mets have been locked in free agent negotiations with their homegrown star since the dawn of the winter. Cohen let it slip how frustrating the negotiations are and seemingly pointed the blame squarely at Alonso's camp, represented chiefly by agent Scott Boras.
"I'm being brutally honest. I don't like the negotiations. I don't like what's being presented to us. Maybe that changes. I'll always stay flexible," Cohen stated to a group of fans at the event. "But if it stays this way, I think we're going to have to get used to the fact that we may have to go forward with the existing players that we have."
Steve Cohen's brutal honesty could open Blue Jays' doors on Pete Alonso
A reported three-year offer of $68-70 million was recently put on the table by the Mets. Alonso's camp seemed less than enthused and the stalemate continued. The Mets don't appear willing to budge from that number and believe the offer represents a fair market for the slugger. The Mets probably feel that their $23 million AAV is fairly rich, particularly when one considers the annual values that offensive players such as Jurickson Profar, Christian Walker and Anthony Santander eventually received.
Toronto is certainly interested and could specifically utilize Alonso's skillsets. The Jays finished last season with 156 home runs (26th highest in MLB). Alonso can put plenty of baseballs in the seats, even though he may not be blessed with speed or an elite on-base percentage. The Jays can make it work with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. playing a little third base and sharing 1B/DH duties with Alonso.
Cohen, on the other hand, is listening to front office executive David Stearns, who is telling him to be careful about shelling out too many large financial expenditures.
"As we continue to bring in players, the reality is it becomes harder to fit Pete into what is a very expensive group of players that we already have, and that's where we are," Cohen continued.
The Blue Jays still seem like the cleanest fit from a roster perspective. Rumored teams like the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels all have to engage in some degree of shuffling to make Alonso fit. San Francisco has LaMonte Wade Jr. and Wilmer Flores poised to share first base duties and a hot prospect waiting in the wings. The Angels have Jorge Soler locked in at DH and would need to displace youngster Nolan Schanuel after just picking him in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft.
The key for the Blue Jays is reacting with prudence to these latest rumblings. The last thing fans want is another wild-goose chase that leads to disappointment. Fans must react with caution to every breaking news report. Last week's bombshell report from SNY's Andy Martino already felt like it was unnecessarily stringing fans along. If the Polar Bear takes his talents north of the border, the Mets' loss may turn out to be the Blue Jays' gain.