MLB Rumors: Pete Alonso betrayal, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s future, Red Sox disaster

It took a little while, but the Winter Meetings finally kicked into high gear on Tuesday. Max Fried signed a massive deal with the New York Yankees. The Toronto Blue Jays made a desperation trade for Andres Gimenez. The Texas Rangers re-signed Nathan Eovaldi and swung a trade for Miami Marlins slugger Jake Burger. We finally got the sweet, sweet Hot Stove action we were waiting for — and with one more day left to go in Dallas, we're far from done.

The trade markets for Kyle Tucker and Nolan Arenado appear to be picking up steam, while there's a bidding war underway for first baseman Christian Walker. And that's not even mentioning big names still out there like Corbin Burnes and Pete Alonso. What will be the next bomb to drop? Here are the latest rumors from around MLB.

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MLB Rumors: Mets NL East rival looms as destination for Pete Alonso

The New York Mets have already made clear that Juan Soto's $765 million megadeal won't prevent them from continuing to swim in or near the deep end of the free-agent pool, particularly with the team's former first baseman, Pete Alonso. But New York could have some stiff competition in its attempt to bring Alonso back — and one very uncomfortable destination has emerged as a potential landing spot.

The Washington Nationals posted a fifth-straight losing season in 2024, but with an emerging young core featuring the likes of CJ Abrams, Luis Garcia, James Wood, Dylan Crews and MacKenzie Gore, the team is finally looking to pull itself out of a very long rebuild. GM Mike Rizzo confirmed as much at the Winter Meetings on Tuesday, telling MLB Network that it was "time to hit the gas".

There are several directions the Nats could go as they look to keep up with the Joneses in the rugged NL East. But arguably the most glaring hole is at first base, where the likes of Joey Gallo and Joey Meneses struggled mightily last season. Fansided's Robert Murray has already reported that the team has engaged in talks with Walker, but if they're looking to really swing big and kickstart a new era of contention, why not make a run at Alonso?

Washington needs a thumper in the middle of its order, and the market for Alonso figures to be dampened at least somewhat by his age and concerns about his eventual decline. Alonso could represent a new Jayson Werth, a veteran who may not entirely live up to his contract but brings a much-needed air of legitimacy.

MLB Rumors: Blue Jays nowhere near extension with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

It's hard to imagine how this offseason could be going any worse for the Toronto Blue Jays. Not only did the team whiff on top targets like Juan Soto and Max Fried, but they apparently weren't even all that close. And then, unable to convince any impact players to take his money, GM Ross Atkins panicked, taking on Andres Gimenez's hefty contract in a move that won't do much at all to improve Toronto's moribund offense.

All of which bodes very, very poorly for the team's new No. 1 priority this offseason: convincing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to sign a long-term extension. Guerrero Jr. certainly noticed Soto's massive payday, and he's certainly noticed how little the Jays have done to put a competitive roster around him for 2025 and beyond. So it's no surprise that he seems to have little interest in engaging with Toronto at the moment.

"It's all about Vladimir Guerrero Jr.," ESPN's Alden Gonzalez said on the Baseball Tonight podcast. "That's it. The franchise is dictated all by one guy, and it's Vlad Jr."

"I've heard they're in talks with Vladdy, trying to get something done. How close they are ... I'm not so sure. Nothing is close. I think this is the offseason they've got to determine whether or not they're going to build around Vladimir Guerrero Jr. And if they're not going to build around Vladimir Guerrero Jr., they've got to trade Vladimir Guerrero Jr. It's that simple."

At this point, it's getting awfully hard to see a path toward contention for the Jays in 2025, Guerrero Jr.'s final season before free agency. And while the first baseman won't command Soto money on the open market, his age and offensive track record could have him asking for something in the range of $400-500 million. There's virtually no chance he passes up on that chance, especially not for a team that's given him no reason to trust their vision. And if talks continue to go nowhere, Toronto has to seriously consider trading him.

MLB Rumors: Alex Cora hints at Red Sox puzzling interest in Alex Bregman

The Boston Red Sox finally found a big move this winter, giving up a prospect haul headlined by catcher Kyle Teel in exchange for Chicago White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet. It's the rotation boost the team desperately needed, as well as some long-overdue evidence that Craig Breslow does in fact have it in him to get this team back into contention.

But Crochet isn't the only move that Boston has mulled over during the Winter Meetings. Manager Alex Cora met with the media on Monday afternoon, and he sounded pretty enamored with the idea of adding Alex Bregman to the team's infield.

While it's good to see the Red Sox finally getting aggressive, it's hard to see the fit here. Rafael Devers isn't a defensive maven over at third base, but he's not awful, and shifting him over to first would require finding a trade for Triston Casas. Casas is coming off an injury-plagued 2024 season, but it wasn't that long ago that he looked like one of the better young hitters in the Majors; does giving him up, in order to spend very big money a player on the wrong side of 30 who may already be declining, really make that much sense?

Cora and Bregman have a long-standing relationship going to back their days with the Houston Astros. Hopefully he's just paying respect to an old friend, and Boston can leave a Bregman megadeal to someone else.