Mariners should be embarrassed after seeing Pete Alonso's contract details with Mets

Steve Cohen is, by quite a comfortable margin, the richest owner in MLB. Thus, it makes sense that he has spent quite a bit of money since acquiring the New York Mets in 2020, which is something Seattle Mariners fans can only dream of. Here are just some of the massive contracts he has inked since taking over:

• Juan Soto: 15 years, $765 million
• Francisco Lindor: 10 years, $341 million
• Brandon Nimmo: 8 years, $162 million
• Edwin Diaz: 5 years, $102 million

This almost reckless spending makes Pete Alonso's free agency saga all the more surprising. A true homegrown talent, he has been an excellent hitter since being selected in the second round of the 2016 draft. He was the 2019 NL Rookie of the Year and has four All-Star selections, so it was puzzling to see him receive a relatively small contract after years of service with the club.

Even more confusing was the apparent lack of competition the Mets had to bring him back. Typically, a 30-year-old first baseman with a career 134 OPS+ who has never hit fewer than 34 home runs in a full season should've had at least some teams banging down the door of Scott Boras. Reality is often disappointing, however, and, at best, there were loose reports of discussions with the Blue Jays, Giants, and Angels, but nothing seemed concrete.

Now that we know the final price tag on his deal, Alonso was quite affordable, even by Seattle's frugal standards. Alonso ultimately signed a two-year, $54 million deal with the Mets. The most comparable current Mariners contract is Mitch Haniger's three-year, $43.5 million deal. Seattle is only on the hook for ~$35 million after acquiring him from the Giants, but the difference in on-field performance more than makes up for the gap in contract value.

This then begs the question: if Seattle was comfortable trading for an expensive 33-year old Haniger who had just come off of an injury-riddled season, why wouldn't they have been interested in outbidding the Mets for Pete? Maybe Alonso was never going to consider another team other than the Mets if he wasn't going to get the contract he wanted, but why wasn't a $100+ million offer with opt outs under consideration?

There were reports of Alonso being linked to the Mariners all the way back in October, but like the other MLB teams, they likely felt they didn't need him that badly. Luke Raley currently sits atop the depth chart at first base for Seattle, followed by Dylan Moore, Austin Shenton, and Donovan Solano. Raley was excellent in 2024, posting a 129 OPS+ and splitting time between first base and the outfield. He's still under team control for several more years and will be infinitely cheaper than Alonso over that span, even under favorable arbitration circumstances.

Still, having a more fearsome slugger in Alonso could have been a big boost to the team's lineup. Outside of Cal Raleigh, the Mariners didn't have anyone on the team with more than 25 home runs. It shouldn't have been difficult to outbid the Mets, who were outwardly reluctant about bringing him back. For all of his flaws, Alonso has remained consistent throughout his big-league career and would've been worth the money for Seattle to upgrade their putrid offense.

Ultimately, the team's passivity has been a recurring theme, and based on recent comments from Jerry Dipoto, it's been an intentional choice by the front office. If Alonso's options were truly as thin as many now believe, maybe the Mariners were correct to pass up on what would've otherwise been a rare opportunity to sign one of the game's best power hitters at an immensely affordable rate. At worst, the team will get their next chance to pick him up as a free agent next offseason, but why wait?