The New York Mets are enjoying life as the best team in baseball following another blockbuster offseason.
Team owner Steve Cohen, one of the most aggressive buyers in the game, outdid himself this past winter as he locked in Juan Soto with a record-breaking $765 million deal, re-signed Sean Manaea to a $75 million contract, nabbed New York Yankees All-Star reliever Clay Holmes and more.
But as the Mets sit atop their division with a 21-11 record, it was Cohen’s decision to bring back Pete Alonso that looks to be the savviest. After agreeing to a two-year reunion with the Mets that includes a player opt-out after this season, Alonso is putting up Most Valuable Player Award numbers with a .342/.475/.649 slash line so far.
But that success means that Alonso is virtually guaranteed to opt out of his deal and re-test the market in the coming offseason. Cohen has already indicated that decision has been made during an interview on “The Show” with Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman.
Following that opt-out, the Mets could look to re-sign Alonso. Or, as Jon Conahan predicted for Heavy, they could look to replace him with another slugger.
“The New York Mets have a few options to consider, including Josh Naylor of the Arizona Diamondbacks,” Conahan wrote, in an article titled “Mets Predicted to Cut Ties With Pete Alonso, Sign All-Star Replacement.” “Naylor isn’t in the same caliber as Alonso, but he’s been very good throughout his career and is enjoying some early success with the Diamondbacks, hitting .318 with four home runs.”
After slugging 31 homers in his 2024 All-Star campaign with the Cleveland Guardians, Naylor was traded to the Diamondbacks in the offseason. He signed a $10.9 million deal shortly thereafter to avoid arbitration and now faces the prospect of free agency at the end of this campaign.
Spotrac projects Naylor’s next deal at $100 million over five years.
So far in 2025, Naylor is slashing a stellar .319/.395/.504 with four homers and he’s several years younger than Alonso. As a result, he could be the kind of replacement that would help Mets fans move on from their homegrown slugger if his opt out leads to a new deal with a new team.
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