Free agent first baseman Pete Alonso remains unsigned as January hits its midway point, and the New York Mets are starting to explore other options at first base. Four-time All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The Mets and Pete Alonso appear to be deadlocked in contract negotiations. There has been zero movement on either side since former Mets general manager Jim Duquette reported that Alonso’s camp reached out to the Mets with an offer to re-sign him last Friday.

There were reasons to expect Alonso might follow them down this road. Alonso reportedly turned down an extension offer of seven years and $158MM back in the summer of 2023. He still had one arbitration season to go at that point,

At some point the Mets either have to hear that Alonso is willing to accept their financial view of him or will get more aggressive elsewhere, probably pretty soon.

Alonso remains the top power hitter available, but as a first baseman with little value outside of his bat, his market has not developed as he hoped. Most recently, the four-time All-Star’s camp extended an exclusive offer to the Mets, believed to be for three years with a high average annual value.

Reports from both Andy Martino of SNY and Joel Sherman of The New York Post suggest a pivot point is coming where the Mets may move on to plans that don’t involve Alonso having a place on the 2025 team.

The New York Mets have been very busy this offseason. They added several pitchers in free agency and of course won the sweepstakes for outfielder Juan Soto. However, some questions remain unanswered.

Sean Manaea’s three-year, $75 million deal was a significant part of what’s been a busy Mets offseason so far — and he hopes it’s not done. The left-hander has already been teammates in San Diego with newly signed Met Juan Soto and he’s been working out at a gym in Tampa alongside Pete Alonso,