NL East

The New York Mets reportedly agreed to re-sign first baseman Pete Alonso to a two-year, $54 million deal on Wednesday, keeping a fan favorite in New York.

The Mets are now loaded with star potential at the top of the order, headlined by Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Alonso.

And the rest of the potential batting lineup isn't too shabby either:

The Mets, as currently constructed, won't be cheap. Per Spotrac, the team is now looking at a tax payroll of right around $322 million, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The luxury tax bill will be a projected $62.5 million, per Spotrac, still well short of the Dodgers' $128.3 million.

New York largely cut payroll in advance of the 2024 season and it seemed like the team was prepared for a soft rebuild. But the Mets exceeded expectations, reaching the NLCS, and the team hasn't wasted any time in splashing major cash to put a contender together ahead of the 2025 campaign.

Alongside the record-setting Soto contract, the team also signed A.J. Minter, Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas and and re-signed Sean Manea, Ryne Stanek and Jesse Winker. The Mets have been busy, and the return of Alonso will be very popular in Queens.

Veteran slugger Pete Alonso and the New York Mets have reportedly agreed to a two-year, $54 million contract that will keep him in Flushing through the 2026 season, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

The deal includes a $10 million signing bonus.

Will Sammon of The Athletic provided more details about the contract:

According to Heyman, Alonso chose the two-year deal over an offer of three years for $71 million from the Mets.

The news comes as somewhat of a surprise after the Mets inked Juan Soto to a record-setting $765 million contract earlier in free agency.

Additionally, Alonso had long been linked to a trade out of New York. However, the 30-year-old told reporters after the 2023 campaign that he wanted to spend his entire career with the Mets, so it's no surprise the two sides ultimately struck an agreement.

"I love it here," Alonso said. "I definitely have envisioned myself being a lifelong Met, that's something I've definitely thought about. … I welcome the idea, but I can't predict the future."

Additionally, Will Sammon of The Athletic reported Jan. 10 that Alonso's camp had offered the Mets a three-year contract with opt-outs. The offer was only made available to the Mets, signaling Alonso's desire to remain with the franchise.

Alonso had a down year by his own lofty standards in 2023, slashing .217/.318/.504 with 46 home runs and 118 RBI. That likely contributed to the trade rumors that swirled throughout the campaign and continued to follow him into the 2024 season.

In 2024, Alonso hit .240/.329/.459 with 34 home runs and 88 RBI in 162 games, helping the Mets clinch a playoff berth for just the second time since 2017 and advance to the NLCS for the first time since 2015.

Given Alonso has been mostly consistent throughout his career, the Mets were obviously comfortable bringing him back for 2025 and beyond.

Now that he's remaining with the franchise for the foreseeable future, he'll continue to anchor a lineup that is now headlined by Soto and also includes Francisco Lindor, Brett Baty, Starling Marte and Francisco Álvarez.

Big expectations for the 2025 New York Mets require some adjustments to their traditional road uniforms.

The Mets are adding blue/orange/blue striping to the collar, sleeve and pant trim of their gray uniforms.

It's not a significant change from what the Mets' road uniforms have looked like. They had used blue piping that ran from the neck and down the middle of the jersey, with blue piping down the side of the pants. The sleeves had a blue stripe around them.

This new look will feature both of the Mets' primary colors, instead of focusing so heavily on just the blue.

Per the Ultimate Mets Database, the updated trim style is similar to what the Mets used to use for their road uniforms in 1982.

This marks the second notable uniform update for the Mets going into the 2025 season. The unveiled a new alternate road jersey during Amazin' Day on Jan. 25 that is primarily blue with orange trim.

This brings the Mets up to five different uniform combinations for the upcoming season. They have their traditional home whites and road grays, alternate home uniform with the black jersey, alternate road uniform with the blue jersey and City Connect uniform.

All of these new looks are contributing to what might be the most-anticipated Mets season in franchise history. They are coming an appearance in the NLCS after going 65-40 in 105 regular-season games starting on June 1.

The Mets followed that up by signing Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract in free agency that made him the highest-paid player in MLB history.

Soto and the Mets will get the opportunity to show off their new road gray uniform early in the season. Their first six games are on the road, starting with a three-game series against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park from March 27-29.

The New York Mets had discussions with closer Kenley Jansen's camp in free agency, according to Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic.

Per Rosenthal and Sammon, Jansen's goal of reaching 500 career saves to go along with his likely price tag "muddied the match."

New York ended up bringing back right-handed reliever Ryne Stanek on a one-year contract on Wednesday.

After agreeing to terms with Stanek, the Mets "appear unlikely" to add another bullpen option (via Rosenthal and Sammon).

According to SNY's Andy Martino, Stanek's deal with New York is worth between $4 million and $5 million. The 33-year-old suited up in 17 games with the Mets in 2024.

Jansen spent the 2024 season with the Boston Red Sox, appearing in 54 games. He compiled a 3.29 ERA and 1.061 WHIP, striking out 62 batters and allowing 20 walks in 54.2 innings of work.

His potential contract almost certainly would have been higher than Stanek's reported deal, and his desire to reach the 500-save milestone would have presented an issue for a Mets team that already has Edwin Díaz.

Jansen has 447 saves under his belt and would likely need multiple seasons to reach 500, barring an exceptional first year with his new team.

For New York, Díaz has been a crucial piece of its bullpen and he's coming off a 2024 campaign in which he ended the year strong. Over his final 15 regular-season appearances, he recorded a 1.69 ERA and racked up 30 strikeouts compared to just five walks.

Martino noted that Stanek's deal also allowed the Mets to "keep a bit of wiggle room" as they remain engaged with slugger Pete Alonso surrounding a potential return in free agency.

New York reportedly made an attempt to sign Jansen, but multiple factors caused the front office to pivot to Stanek instead.

As Pete Alonso continues his wait to find a home for the 2025 season and beyond, the New York Mets may find themselves strongly in the mix amid recent rumors about the Toronto Blue Jays looking at the four-time All-Star.

Per SNY's Andy Martino, the Mets' final offer to Alonso was for $70 million for three years that contained some deferred money:

"The final Mets offer that Alonso turned down—that's gonna be tough for him to beat with the Blue Jays. That could've been a real win probably in what the ultimate dollar figure would've looked like for Alonso. Given what the Blue Jays gave [Anthony] Santander—it was in the 60s after the deferred money—they're probably not gonna get as good an offer from Toronto as they've already gotten from the Mets, and turned down from the Mets."

Joel Sherman and Dan Martin first reported on Jan. 16 the Mets' made a "last-ditch effort" to sign Alonso, but they pivoted away from him when that offer was rejected. The team announced the following day they signed Jesse Winker to a one-year, $8 million contract.

There's still the ability for the Mets to shuffle their lineup if they were able to coax Alonso back to Queens on a team-friendly deal. Mark Vientos is likely set to start the season at first base, with Brett Baty at third. Vientos could shift back to the hot corner for Alonso to play first.

Mets owner Steve Cohen didn't sound optimistic about a reunion with Alonso when speaking to fans at the team's fanfest event on Saturday.

The Blue Jays have been trying to entice Alonso to make Canada his home. Robert Murray of FanSided noted on Jan. 23 they were still showing interest in the 30-year-old slugger.

Murray's report came out after Toronto officially signed Anthony Santander, so there seems to be some money still floating around for the organization to use.

Alonso's market has been very limited, at least publicly, so far this offseason. He seems almost certain at this point to end up with a shorter-term contract than he was expecting in November.

Some of the lukewarm response to Alonso as a free agent is understandable. He's likely to end up as a DH-only player sooner than later given his defensive issues at first base. His on-base percentage has been sub-.330 in each of the past two seasons.

One thing Alonso does that makes him extremely valuable is his ability to hit for power. He has hit at least 34 homers in five of his first six seasons. The only time he didn't was in 2020 when he finished with 16 in the season that was shortened to 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The only player with more homers since 2019 than Alonso's 226 is Aaron Judge (232).

The Washington Nationals are back in red.

Former second overall pick Dylan Crews showed off a new red jersey featuring the Curly W logo on Saturday ahead of the 2025 season.

The Nationals did not wear red jerseys during the 2024 season, according to Uniform Lineup.

Crews wore the new jersey Saturday during an event speaking with Nationals season ticket holders.

There is more Nationals jersey news left to come this season. The Nats will be unveiling new City Connect uniforms after retiring their cherry blossom-themed kits after the 2024 season, MASN's Mark Zuckerman reported in September.

Crews is heading into the 2025 season ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the MLB.

After impressing in the minor leagues, he batted .218 with three home runs and eight RBI in 31 games for the Nationals last season. He's looking to up those numbers during what could be his first full season in the majors.

The Nationals are meanwhile looking to improve their record after finishing two straight seasons with 71 wins. The club will open the 2025 season against the Philadelphia Phillies on March 27.

The contract negotiations between Pete Alonso and the New York Mets appear to have hit an additional rough patch.

At the organization's "Amazin' Day," owner Steve Cohen said that he doesn't like "the structure of the offer" that Alonso's camp has put forward in contract negotiations. In response to these claims, Alonso's agent Scott Boras defended the structure and said that it falls under "established fairness standards."

"Pete's free-agent contract structure request are identical to the standards and practices of other clubs who have signed similarly situated qualifying-offer/all-star level players," Boras said, per Will Sammon of The Athletic. "Nothing different. Just established fairness standards."

Alonso reportedly turned down a three-year contract from the Mets on Jan. 16. Ken Rosenthal and Sammon reported that Alonso's camp had countered with a three-year deal that had "opt-outs" and a "high averaged annual value" that was only offered to the Mets.

Alonso is a four-time All-Star and hit .240/.329/.459 with 34 home runs and 88 RBIs in 2024. He helped the Mets reach the NLCS and has been a core piece of the lineup since 2019.

He has also received interest from the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency. While Alonso has given the Mets an opportunity to sign with him, Cohen and Boras' respective comments show that a deal is still a bit distant.

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen acknowledged Saturday that the team could be moving toward a future without Pete Alonso at first base.

Cohen acknowledged the contract negotiations with Alonso and said that he doesn't "like" them or the "structure of the offer."

"I don't like the negotiations," Cohen said. "I don't like what's been presented to us. Maybe that changes...If it stays this way, I think we have to get used to the fact that we may have to go forward with existing players."

Cohen's comment came during the team's "Amazin' Day," and fans at the event chanted "We want Pete" to Cohen, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns and Mets manager Carlos Mendoza.

Cohen's comments came shortly after Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor reflected on Alonso's negotiations and said that while it would be "different" if Alonso leaves, he believes the first baseman should make the "best decision for himself."

"Pete's been here since I've been here," Lindor said, per Jorge Castillo of ESPN. "He was here before me. So, yeah, it would be different if he goes somewhere else. Yeah, it would be different. But I think he should take his time. I think he should make the best decision for himself and not feel that he's rushed."

Alonso has been a staple in the Mets' lineup since 2019 and is a four-time All-Star. He hit .240/.329/.459 with 34 home runs and 88 RBIs in 2024 while helping the Mets reach the NLCS.

He reportedly turned down a three-year contract from the Mets on Jan. 16. He has also received interest from the Toronto Blue Jays.

The New York Mets will unveil a new road jersey during Saturday's Amazin Day event at Citi Field, according to Danny Abriano of SNY.

Because MLB teams are only allowed to have five uniform options, it's likely that the team is either ditching its current road gray option or its black road alternate.

The team could also move on from its blue home alternate, given that it wears its City Connect uniform for home games.

As Abriano noted, "The Mets' current traditional road gray jersey with 'NEW YORK' across the chest dates back to the team's inception in 1962, though the team has worn different road jerseys through the years. Among them: Pullover style jerseys worn for much of the 1980s, including the gray "racing stripe" jerseys that had 'Mets' across the chest and were worn in 1986. In 1987, the Mets wore a road gray jersey that had 'NEW YORK' in an elongated, different kind of script. In 1988, the 'NEW YORK' across the gray road jersey was in block lettering."

The more exciting news, of course, is that the new road jersey will be worn by Juan Soto, who the Mets' signed to a massive 15-year, $765 million contract this winter, landing the biggest free agent in the sport and stealing him from the New York Yankees in the process.

Heady times for these Mets, who made a surprise run to the NLCS last season and now will feature one of the biggest stars in the sport.