Executives around the league don’t think New York Mets star Pete Alonso will get the long contract he wants. Meanwhile, Jett Williams is training with Alex Bregman, which is not too shabby for him, and fans dream about Michael King as the potential missing piece in the rotation.
Mets: Executives around the league don’t think Pete Alonso will get the contract he wants
Pete Alonso entered the offseason hoping to secure a long-term commitment, but his push for a seven-year deal has been met with industry hesitation. Teams acknowledge the elite power and the consistency he showed again last season — a 141 wRC+, 38 home runs, and the Mets’ all-time home run record — yet they remain reluctant to extend a contract deep into his late 30s.
Clubs view him as a one-dimensional slugger entering his age-31 season, and their valuation doesn’t match the length he’s seeking.
League insiders suggest that even a five-year deal may be unrealistic, with some predicting that Alonso might need to accept four years with a lower AAV or deferrals. The Orioles, Red Sox, and Mets all remain interested, but none appear willing to stretch to five or six years, let alone seven. That leaves both Alonso and the Mets back in a familiar standoff: mutual interest, limited movement, and a winter defined by patience rather than urgency.
Mets’ star prospect is learning from one of the best infielders of all time
Jett Williams training alongside Alex Bregman makes for great offseason buzz, but the stakes behind those workouts are far more serious. With the Mets acquiring Marcus Semien — effectively blocking the middle infield for two seasons — Williams has gone from heir apparent to organizational squeeze. His strong Double-A season showed promise, but his struggles in Triple-A underscored how much refinement he still needs if he wants to force his way onto a win-now roster.
That’s where Bregman’s influence becomes crucial: not as a future Met, but as a model of preparation, instincts, and mental sharpness. Williams now faces a spring in which he must either hit his way onto the roster, adapt to a new position, or risk being floated as trade bait for pitching. The Mets are leaning heavily on proven veterans, and Williams will have to break through that wall by outperforming expectations rather than riding prospect hype.
The Missing Piece: Why the Mets are suddenly in hot pursuit of Michael King
The Mets’ rotation, as currently constructed, leans more on hope than reliability, and that’s why their interest in Michael King is more necessity than luxury. While injuries limited King to 15 starts last season, he still delivered a 3.44 ERA, strong strikeout totals, and frontline-caliber flashes when healthy.
For a team relying on a recovering Kodai Senga, an experimental starter conversion in Clay Holmes, an inconsistent Sean Manaea, and young arms with limited experience, King represents the stabilizing presence they desperately need.
Even if the Mets manage to swing a trade for a top arm, their depth remains thin enough that one setback could unravel the staff. King’s ability to provide quality innings while bridging the gap between unproven talent and big expectations makes him one of the most logical additions available. For a front office trying to support a contending roster, he’s the exact type of floor-raising piece they can’t afford to overlook.