Is free agent first baseman Pete Alonso about to bring his power to the American League East?

According to SNY’s Andy Martino on Thursday, Alonso and the Blue Jays are making progress on a deal, though it’s not a certainty to be finalized.

Talks between Pete Alonso and the Blue Jays are “advancing,” per a source with knowledge. Not done yet and no guarantee that it gets there.

After a weeks-long stalemate, the New York Mets indicated last week that they’ve shifted their focus away from re-signing their homegrown slugger after he rejected their latest offer. They have since re-signed outfielder Jesse Winker and added leverage reliever A.J. Minter.

According to The New York Post’s Joel Sherman, the Mets tried to sign Alonso to a short-term deal.

“The Mets made what they perceived as a last-ditch effort to sign Pete Alonso by offering him a three-year contract in the $68 million-$70 million range, and when that was rejected, began their pivot away from their slugging first baseman, The Post has learned.”

All of this makes sense when considering the scope of the offseason: The top first basemen have found teams and the teams most in need of a first baseman have found theirs, often on shorter-term deals, leaving Alonso without a team with less than three weeks before spring training.

Couple this reality with the mindset of Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, who doesn’t seem like the type to overspend on a one-dimensional (and declining) first baseman, and the Mets have patiently waited out Alonso’s market.

Even if the terms Alonso agrees to with the Blue Jays (or Mets) are bigger, it doesn’t seem like he will come close to the seven-year, $158 million offer he declined from the previous regime, per reports.

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.

In his six MLB seasons, Alonso has not only become one of the Mets’ all-time sluggers but also MLB‘s. His 226 home runs rank second in baseball behind the Yankees’ Aaron Judge since his 2016 debut — and third in Mets franchise history. His 586 RBIs are first in baseball and sixth all-time in Mets franchise history.

But Alonso, a 30-year-old first baseman, represents the type of player teams don‘t want to pay big money to. Not only has his 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.

In 2024, he hit .240 with a .788 OPS, 34 home runs and 88 RBI.