Mets and Pete Alonso at an Impasse: Will a Deal Get Done or Will New York Move On? 

Is Pete Alonso getting the short end of the stick? He turned down a significant extension, and now reports suggest the Mets might move on entirely. Is his ask of a high-AAV short-term deal with opt-outs too much? Or are the Mets lowballing a homegrown star? Considering his recent dip in performance, is he truly worth a top-dollar contract? Where do you see Alonso landing, and what kind of deal do you think he’ll ultimately sign? Are the Mets making a mistake by potentially letting him walk?

The Mets seem to be exploring alternatives like Vientos at first and potentially trading for a big bat. Could this be a smokescreen, or are they genuinely prepared to play the season without the Polar Bear? If they do move on from Alonso, who are some realistic targets they could pursue to fill the void? Weigh in on the Mets' strategy.

This situation mirrors other recent free agent sagas where players seemed to overestimate their market value. Is this a trend we'll continue to see? Are players miscalculating their worth, or are teams undervaluing established talent? What impact does the competitive balance tax have on these negotiations? Is it a legitimate constraint for teams, or just an excuse to avoid paying market value?

This offseason has been unusually slow. Does the Alonso situation exemplify a larger issue in baseball's free agency system? Are we heading towards another lockout, or will things eventually pick up? What changes, if any, would you like to see to the free agency process?