Alonso remains on the market, and the longer this saga goes on, the less likely it is that he finds another team willing to shell out the sort of nine-figure contract he expected at the start of the offseason.

Pete Alonso’s name was never mentioned during the short Q&A portion, but Winker was asked about his willingness and ability to play first base as the Mets plan to open the season without Alonso, who remains a free agent with less than three weeks to go before spring training.

The New York Mets believe emerging third baseman Mark Vientos can slide across and take the spot once occupied by Pete Alonso, per the New York Post.

Pete Alonso’s market continues to shrink and now, the New York Mets appear as though they are moving on from their former franchise slugger. The 30-year-old first baseman and his agent, Scott Boras, have misplayed the market.

After rejecting a seven-year, $158 million contract from the New York Mets in 2023, free-agent first baseman Pete Alonso now finds himself in a situation where he will perhaps be ruing that decision.

After reports of a reunion being unlikely between the Mets and Alonso, how will they pivot from a franchise cornerstone?

Unless Cohen has another Correa moment – which seems doubtful – or Alonso drops his demands precipitously, then one of the best power hitters in Mets history is going to another franchise.

Pete Alonso reportedly turned down the New York Mets' counteroffer in free agency. Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon, Alonso's camp proposed

It sounds like the New York Mets aren't going to have Pete Alonso for the 2025 season but there has been reports about possible replacements.

Winker, 31, said he expects to fill a “very similar” role to the one he played last year for the Mets, who alternated him between right field, left field and designated hitter after acquiring him in a late-July trade with the Washington Nationals.

There's a significant logjam in the free-agent market because player demands have gone up while teams are tightening payroll.