Does the industry actually value Pete Alonso and Cody Bellinger in a significantly different — more appreciative — way than last offseason?
That was when Alonso failed to find the market he sought and signed a two-year contract to stay a Met. Bellinger did not even opt out, and the Cubs found so few takers in trade talks that the best they could do was obtain Cody Poteet and actually send $5 million to the Yankees.
What is different a year later? Neither has the qualifying offer tied to them. And both are coming off strong seasons, as opposed to 2024.
Will that motivate bidding at a way higher level? That question resonates with the New York teams as the Winter Meetings begin. Because the Mets (Alonso) and Yankees (Bellinger) want to retain their most vital positional free agents. But they are trying to read how much the market has actually shifted. Neither wants to go to unnecessary financial regions on guesswork or to avoid loud blowback from the fan base if either/both lose one of them.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
