Pete Alonso's free agency saga is finally, mercifully at an end after a long, winding saga that never really got off the ground.
His offseason journey ended right where it began, as he'll be strapping up his cleats for New York Mets once again in 2025.
In total, Pete Alonso's deal will guarantee him $54 million over two years, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 6, 2025
$30 million for one season of work (he'll almost certainly exercise the opt-out as long as he doesn't get injured) isn't bad money if you can get it, but a two-year, $54 million contract is a far cry from what experts were projected Alonso to get on the market.
Now, while his attachment to a dreaded qualifying offer certainly dampened his market — and why he negotiated a contract that allows him to hit free agency again next year without one on his ledger — it doesn't solely explain why Alonso fell so short of the nine-figure deal he was seeking.
Instead, that blame falls squarely on super agent Scott Boras's shoulders.
Beyond Juan Soto, Scott Boras continues to fail his top clients
Before we get into the meat and potatoes of this discussion, we can at least give Boras credit for securing the largest contract in baseball history for Juan Soto.
However, before any fawns over Boras too much, let's remember that Soto is a 26-year-old prodigy with some of the best hitting tools of all time. Sure, the agent probably drummed up an extra $50+ million for his client, but anyone could have gotten the Mets and Yankees in a bidding war over the outfielder.
Besides Soto, it's been mostly swings and misses for Boras.
Blake Snell is probably the other big hit that he's had in the last couple years. The southpaw signed an above-market $182 million deal, though that also comes with the caveat of this offseason heavily leaning towards overpaying pitchers.
In that sense, Corbin Burnes' six-year, $210 million deal looks rather tame, especially when compared to 31-year-old Max Fried's $218 million contract with the Yankees.
This all comes on the heels of last offseason, when the "Four Borasmen" — Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Jordan Montgomery, and Snell — all settled for way-below-market deals deep into the winter. Montgomery fired Boras shortly after signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Now, Boras is still trying to find a deal for Alex Bregman, another star position player who doesn't have the market a player of his stature normally dictates.
Let's be clear: Alonso didn't get totally screwed by his arrangement with the Mets. He gets to spend 2025 with a familar franchise that also happens to be a World Series contender while raking in $30 million and the promise of another free agency tour if he has a strong season.
But, as we saw with Bellinger and Montgomery, sometimes the first free agency rodeo for these stars is their only chance at securing a big money deal.
As a 30-year-old slugger with cascading power numbers, it is, at best, wishful thinking that Alonso will have a better chance at securing a long-term deal next winter than he did this offseason. It's very possible that the first baseman missed out on his best chance to cash in on his talents.
When your agent simply has other players higher on his priority list, that's bound to happen. Boras may be one of the game's best agents for star players, but he's still only one man.