Conversations between Blue Jays, Pete Alonso allegedly “Progress”

17:30: Tim Healey from Newsday Gives a similar report to Martino that says the two sides are deep in negotiations. However, Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith from Sports Network Reports that there is no momentum for Jays to pick up Alonso or Scherzer.

15:05: The Blue Jays has been known for a while to have an interest in Free Agent First Baseman Pete Alonso. Andy Martino from Sny Today reports that the conversations between the two sides are “progressing”, although he warns that nothing has been done yet, and it may not be certain that an agreement will be completed.

Although nothing has been done yet, it would be quite an interesting focal point out of season for Jays if they could get the deal over the line. For the first few months of winter, the club was defined by falling short in their pursuit of free agents such as. Juan SotoAt Max FriedAt Corbin Burnes and Roki Sasaki. When combined with last winter’s almost accident Shohei Ohtani And a disappointing 2024 season was the frustration high among the fan base.

The murmur’s volume dropped somewhat in recent days when Jays signed out onto the field Anthony Santander To give the lineup a power-boost. But even after that appointment, it didn’t seem like Jays were finished. They have reportedly still have wage spaces and have recently been associated with players like Alonso, Jurickson Profar and Max Scherzer.

If Alonso eventually brought north of the border with Santander, the two would provide some similar additions. Both players have power as their clear best trait, with their other contributions a little more muted.

Alonso has clubs 226 home races over the past six seasons, which places him next Aaron Judge For that tighten. But despite the enormous power, he has lingered unsigned in the Free Agency as the spring training is just above the horizon.

This may be due to the other parts of his profile. His career walk of 9.9 % is slightly above average, but not much. He does not have the great speed on the ground trails. The reviews of his defense have been mixed, where Alonso has earned +2 defensive Runs Saved in his career, but got a character of -24 from Outs Above Average. His wrongdoing has also been relatively lower lately. He cut .261/.349/.535 through 2022 to a WRC+ of 137, but then hit .229/.324/.480 for a 121 WRC+ over the past two years.

It is still a really strong production, but it is possible that it has contributed to a gap between what Alonso and his reps expected of Free Agency and what the clubs were willing to offer. The Power-Only Right-handed Slugger is a profile that has not been well paid for a while, and Alonso’s recent dive may not have helped him.

Many expected him and Mets to reunite, but the club didn’t seem so keen on it. Although Alonso and his representatives have recently changed to consider short-term agreements, Mets has apparently limited their offer in the range $ 68-70mm over three years. That equals something close to $ 23mm annually, a lower average annual value than Cody BellingerAt Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery were able to get even though they remained unsigned in February/March last year.

It is unclear what kind of terms Alonso and Jays are discussing, but he would take good care of them, despite his shortcomings. Jays had some forces last year, but power was a clear weakness. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the only guy in the club who came to the 20-Homer plateau. The team of 156 long balls was number 26 out of 30 clubs in the league, in front of only Marlins, Rays, Nationals and White Sox.

However, their walking speed was only after six teams. Their defense was considered to be quite strong, where DRS had them at the top of Majors and Oaa considered them the fourth best. Therefore, it was a sensible goal to add a player who mostly delivers power in offseason.

They have already made such an addition with Santander. Like Alonso, his power is a greater strength than his defense, speed or abilities on the base. But Jays are apparently willing to go for the weakest part of their 2024 club and attack it.

Fitting everyone into the row would be a bit of a challenge. Jaysy already has a first Baseman in Guerrero. With Alonso in the club, the two presumably would share the first base and the designated hitter space a little regularly. Guerrero has played a bit of a third base in his career, but only 14 games in the past five seasons. Most of them came last year when the club played the string on a lost season.

Without Alonso in the club, the corner players Santander and George jumps give sense as top candidates to receive long stints in the DH Square. As mentioned, Santander is not a big field player. Springer has been a good defender in his career, but is now 35 years old, and of course he slides a little in that department. Adding Alonso would limit Jays’ ability to use jumpers or santander at DH Square unless they are willing to put Guerrero in third place more often than expected. From now on Ernie Clement profiles themselves as the club’s best option in the hot corner. Since he is more of a man who is able to play other positions, it is possible that he can be posted in more a helper role. Speculatively speaking, it is possible that Jays can start some matches with Guerrero and Alonso in the corners, where Clement comes in third place late in the match if the club is ahead and wants to prioritize defense. At that time, either Guerrero or Alonso could go to the bench, with the second first.

It’s an interesting game and time will show if the two sides get something done. Jays apparently still have some money to spend and have some options available. Whether it is Alonso, Profar, Scherzer, another or a combination, it seems that they are still busy trying to save offseason after a few misses earlier.

Signing Alonso would also require the club to lose a draft selection and $ 500,000 international bonus pool space because he rejected a qualifying offer from Mets. Jays already gave up pool space to sign Santander, but added $ 2mm in the fateful Myles Straw deal when they freed to Sasaki, so they’re probably not particularly concerned about that part. When they already surrendered their second best elections in the upcoming draft to get Santander, signing Alonso would also mean that they lost their third highest election. Mets would receive a compensation for Alonso to leave, but as a club that paid the competitive balance tax last year, this election would not come until after the fourth round.