The New York Mets shocked the baseball world after agreeing to a historic $765 million contract with outfielder Juan Soto. President of baseball operations David Stearns’ winter is far from over, though. Could he replace first baseman Pete Alonso with Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr.?
Toronto was one of five teams that tried luring Soto away from New York. Since the club’s pursuit came up empty, Guerrero’s long-term future with the Blue Jays appears to be in limbo. MLB Trade Rumors is estimating he’ll earn $29.6 million in 2025, which is his last season before becoming a free agent.
Will Toronto try to lock him down to a lucrative multi-year deal that could surpass $500 million? Or will the Blue Jays instead see what they can get for the 26-year-old on the trade market? FanSided’s Cody Williams mentioned four potential trade partners the Blue Jays should consider for Guerrero after missing out on Soto. He listed the Mets, along with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox.
“Even considering the possibility of an immediate core lineup of Soto, Guerrero and Francisco Lindor is enough to send a trickle down the leg of any opposing pitcher,” Williams wrote. “What’s more, with the possibility of Pete Alonso leaving Queens in free agency this offseason as well, the Mets would have a better and younger replacement coming in with Vladdy to fill that void.”
Williams also mentioned that locking down Guerrero in Queens for the long haul wouldn’t be a problem thanks to Mets owner Steve Cohen’s deep pockets and desire to win. But the situation with Alonso still hasn’t been resolved. Signing Soto to the richest deal in baseball history doesn’t mean the Mets are done pursuing Alonso via free agency.
“We’d love to bring Pete back,” Stearns said on Monday, via MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. “Pete’s been a great Met. He had some enormous hits for us, and we’ll see where that goes.”
Guerrero is younger than Alonso and has more upside, especially after a 2024 campaign in which he posted a .940 OPS with 30 home runs, 44 doubles, 103 RBI and 98 runs scored. However, Alonso has been one of baseball’s best power hitters since 2019 and would be cheaper to retain than Guerrero.
It’ll be interesting to see where Alonso ultimately lands and how the Mets react if he doesn’t remain in Queens.
