Mets have Braves to thank if they're able to keep Pete Alonso at their asking price

First baseman Pete Alonso remains one of the biggest names in the free agent market this offseason. However, it does not appear that the slugger is close to signing anywhere, with teams reluctant to meet a sky-high asking price for a one-dimensional player already on the wrong side of 30. The longer this staring contest goes on, the narrower the first-base market gets, and the more likely it is that the Mets are able to bring the Polar Bear back. A reunion with New York makes sense for both sides; the question is, will the cost line up?

The Mets obviously made the biggest splash of this offseason when they signed outfielder Juan Soto to the largest contract in sports history at 15 years and $765 million. Paying such an astronomical amount of money to add Soto makes it seem impossible to have room to also pay a four-time All-Star like Alonso, even for someone like Steve Cohen. But believe it or not, it's not out of the question — and the team has the arch rival Atlanta Braves to thank.

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Mets get unlikely assist in quest to re-sign Pete Alonso

When a free agent is trying to determine their asking price for a contract, they often look back on deals that have been made in the past with comparable players. While this can provide leverage for a to ask for more money, the New York Mets are actually the ones in the driver seat when it comes to Alonso's situation.

The best comparisons to big-name first basemen of Alonso's caliber are actually two saperate contracts handed out by the Mets' division rivals. Freddie Freeman signed a six-year, $162 million deal, and when he eventually moved on to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta then signed slugger Matt Olson to an eight-year, $168 million contract.

It is believed that Alonso is looking for a multi-year deal north of $200 million, with USA Today's Bob Nightengale reporting that Scott Boras has been using Prince Fielder's nine-year, $214 million contract with the Detroit Tigers as a benchmark. However, given that Olson and Freeman could not even obtain that amount of money in their prime, it's hard to see anyone paying it for the 30-year-old Alonso. With those two deals setting a precedent, the Mets will have an easier time sitting and waiting for Alonso (and Boras) to come to them.

With all of these factors considered, if Alonso wants a job in 2025, he is likely going to have to lower his asking price — and it may be low enough that the New York Mets will work to keep him in the lineup with Soto and look to take over the National League.