It appears that former world series champion starting pitcher Todd Stottlemyre is on the Pete Alonso to Toronto bandwagon.
Steve Phillips joined MLB Network yesterday to discuss Pete Alonso's free agent market and lack of movement by the Mets and Blue Jays and Todd Stottlemyre voiced his frustration in the form of a tweet.
Meanwhile SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino said nothing has changed between the Mets and Alonso since last week, but he reiterated that talks between the slugger and the Blue Jays are advancing and added what he's heard on how close a deal is.
"I'm hearing they're at the 10-yard line, these are all metaphors," Martino said. "I know from experience that those last 10 yards can have a lot of obstacles before you get into the end zone. I'm not sitting here saying he's going to become a Blue Jay but that's what's going on with Pete today."
Martino added later that the Mets' reported $68-$70 million offer Alonso declined is in "present-day money."
A disagreement on deferrals was had, but the final amount that Alonso turned down was more than $70 million when taking the deferred money into account.
The five-year deal Santander signed with Toronto is for $92.5 million, but worth just $68.6 million in present value after accounting for the deferrals.
Specifically, there is $61.75 million in deferred money, and a player opt-out after the 2027 season.
As far as how long the Alonso contract negotiations could drag out, Martino said it could be a bit.
"I'm still getting an expectation that if he comes back it's gonna take a while," Martino said. "It seems like we could easily get to spring training where this is still a topic. And if Alonso re-signs, it could be when the Mets are already in camp. There's no reason for the Mets to rush."
In addition to the Mets and Blue Jays, Alonso has been connected to the Giants and Angels.
However, the connections to San Francisco and Los Angeles have been loose, and there haven't been any reports that either team has extended an offer to Alonso.
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