Pete Alonso Rumors: Mets Open to Calls, Not 'Chasing' Trade amid Contract Talks

The New York Mets are reportedly open to trading first baseman Pete Alonso amid a stalling out in contract extension negotiations.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the Mets are not "chasing" a trade but will listen to offers for the slugger. Alonso can become an unrestricted free agent after the 2024 season.

Agent Scott Boras said Alonso wants the Mets to present him with a contract extension offer this offseason.

"[Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns] certainly views Pete as a core part of their team and we just kind of let him know when it comes to the Polar Bear we're not in contract hibernation," Boras told reporters.

"We're open to listening. Pete has directed me to listen to what they have to say and we'll go from there."

Boras has long been a proponent of taking his biggest clients into free agency, where he's developed a reputation as a patient and shrewd negotiator. Clients of Boras have tended to extract every possible dollar out of the free-agent market, and Alonso will likely be no different.

Passan's report noted Alonso's asking price is well out of the range of first basemen who recently signed megadeals. No first baseman currently has an average annual value of $30 million and none top Freddie Freeman's $27 million average. Bryce Harper is the only first baseman who has a contract worth more than $200 million total, and that's a deal he signed while serving as an outfielder.

Alonso has been one of baseball's premier sluggers since his MLB arrival. His 192 home runs and 498 runs batted in since 2019 leads all players. While defense is a noteworthy issue, Alonso's transformative bat and ability to eventually transition to a DH spot makes him a player worthy of potentially setting the first-base market.

It remains to be seen whether the Mets will be willing to make such an offer after watching their high spending blow up in their face last season.