Marlins rivals have a very interesting free agent decision

Some Miami Marlins division rivals are not having great seasons due to injuries. Others are having seasons that can go either way. I'm of course talking about the New York Mets, who have a legitimate shot at the last National League Wild Card spot. They will have to knock off the Atlanta Braves to do it and it certainly seems doable at the moment. As The Fish are building towards the future, the Mets have a big off-season decision to make.

Miami Marlins rivals have to make a major off-season decision.

The New York Mets have a major decision to make. Middle of the order bat 1B Pete Alonso is a free agent after the season. This is a situation that can heavily affect the NL East going forward. If the Mets lose Alonso and don't replace him adequately, that will hurt their playoff chances significantly. On the other hand, they also need to make the best financial decisions for long-term success.

The Mets already tried to extend Pete Alonso for 7 years/$158 million ($22 million a year). This was a pretty fair offer in my opinion. Alonso has elite power, hitting 40 home runs in 2022 and 46 home runs in 2023. He's unlikely to do so this season and in fact he's actually having a down season by his standards. He's not a good contact hitter, having a batting average as low as .217 last season.

Alonso isn't a speedster and is a poor defender at first base. He's a pretty one-dimensional player, whose real value comes strictly from his power. He'll be 30 years old next season. Alonso allegedly wants 9-10 years, which is pretty crazy to be honest. He doesn't have the skillset that ages well and that's just too much.

What's going to happen in the off-season? The Mets will obviously offer Alonso a Qualifying Offer. He will most likely reject the offer and hit free agency. There is an outside chance that he will accept the offer, which would be best for both parties. I do see Alonso being hurt by the QO a bit and his down year (by his standards) as well. It's better for him to try and have a better platform year, while not having the QO attached.

If Pete Alonso rejects the QO, I see him having to settle for a 3-4 year deal with opt-outs. That deal will likely come from a different team, as I could see the Mets moving on and him not wanting to have to settle for a low Mets offer (in his mind). I can also see a scenario where the two sides do agree on a deal with opt-outs, though it just seems to me that if he rejects the QO, the Mets will look to invest in someone else.