MLB Rumors: Anthony Santander 'Viable Option' for Mets If Pete Alonso Leaves in FA
The New York Mets could show interest in free-agent right fielder Anthony Santander if the team can't re-sign Pete Alonso, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
"If Pete Alonso does not go back to Flushing, Queens, and if Santander is still unsigned if and when Alonso goes somewhere else, Santander becomes a viable option for the Mets," Morosi said on Thursday (0:38 mark).
Morosi noted that the Mets currently aren't considered "the frontrunners" for the 30-year-old, though.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Dec. 26 that there was a "sizable gap" in negotiations between Alonso and New York's front office at the time.
On Tuesday, USA Today's Bob Nightengale revealed that the first baseman returning to the Mets on a short-term deal appeared to be a "likely outcome."
While Alonso posted a career-low .788 OPS in 2024, he still hit 34 home runs and has launched 226 homers since his rookie season in 2019.
Santander is coming off a 2024 campaign in which he earned the first All-Star nod of his career. In 155 games with the Baltimore Orioles, the switch-hitter racked up 44 home runs and 102 RBIs to go along with a .235/.308/.506 slash line.
He should have several options in free agency, as Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reported that the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays have all expressed interest in him.
If the Mets can't agree to terms with Alonso, they'll likely enter the fray.
