Among the potential 13 New York Mets free agents this offseason are two players who contributed heavily to their run to the NL Championship Series. But that doesn’t mean they are worth breaking the bank for, according to their ex-general manager.
SNY‘s Jim Duquette, the Mets‘ GM from 2003-04, threw some cold water on New York’s appetite to keep first baseman Pete Alonso and starting pitcher Sean Manaea on Tuesday.
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The SNY “Baseball Night in NY” panel was asked to pick a number from 1-10 to represent the urgency to sign the two players. The higher number equated to a higher priority. Duquette rated both the lowest among the three contributors.
On Alonso:
“I’d rather have him than not,” said Duquette, a long-time Mets front office member. “… You know he can (play in New York). But he didn’t have a great year and you know you’re going to have to chase a lot of money. For me, I’m not chasing the money; there are other good first basemen like Christian Walker who would be an excellent fit and be better defensively. You wouldn’t have to sign him for as long as term. I’ll take him but I don’t want to chase — if it’s $200M I’m moving on.”
On Manaea:
“Move on,” Duqette began. “… I love everything about him. The biggest concern I have is the workload. … You saw him drop in velocity at the end oft he year and its buyer beware. He’s going to get four years — he’s 33 years old — and close to $100 million or more. For me, that’s a huge risk.”
Alonso, a four-time All-Star and the 2019 NL Rookie of the Year, has spent his entire professional career with the Mets since they drafted him in 2016. But now he‘s entering his free agent offseason with Scott Boras as his agent, meaning he will let the market dictate his value. With around $190 million coming off the books, the Mets will have plenty of room to keep Alonso, which is to say nothing of owner Steve Cohen’s financial might. But will he be worth it?
A soon-to-be 30-year-old first baseman represents the type of player teams don‘t want to pay big money to. Not only has Alonso’s top-end exit velocities declined, he‘s on the lowest end of the defensive spectrum with limited range, and he does not run well (19th percentile sprint speed). He‘s a one-dimensional power hitter, albeit one who hit 34 home runs last year and has 226 in his Mets career.
USA TODAY reported in June that Alonso is seeking at least $200 million, which is significantly higher than the seven-year, $158 million offer Alonso got last season from the previous front office and rejected, according to The New York Post.
Manaea, who is a lock to opt out of his two-year deal, is a different story because of the difficulty finding starting pitching. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said that adding pitching is a “priority” this offseason with three pending free agents within their rotation.
In 32 regular-season games, Manaea surged toward a 3.47 ERA and he finished the season as the Mets’ ace. In the playoffs, he made four more starts, including the last one, which came in the Game 6 loss of the NL Championship Series to the Dodgers when he allowed five earned runs in two innings. In total, Manaea threw 200 2/3 innings, and it is correct to say he tired down the stretch. But overall, he was very productive — and that two-year, $28 million deal with an opt-out he signed last offseason looks like a prudent move for him. Will the Mets reward him again?
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