Pete Alonso could be in for a rude awakening come MLB free agency

The 2024 MLB free agency class is going to be incredibly loaded with talent.

It's headlined by Juan Soto, who will garner a bulk of the attention as he closes in on signing a record-breaking position player contract in the coming months. Corbin Burnes headlines the class of pitchers, expecting to get a pretty loaded deal himself.

But New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso is also entering free agency, and he has pretty high expectations on his value. Alonso is reportedly looking for a deal in the ballpark of $150 million to $200 million, which is unheard of in this market of first baseman.

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MLB insider reveals skepticism around Pete Alonso's upcoming free agency

MLB insider Jeff Passan revealed some details about the upcoming free agency class. He touched on Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes and the aforementioned Alonso, among others. It was especially intriguing to see what Passan said about Alonso.

"So how does an elite offensive player breed skepticism?" Passan wrote. "His position. (First base.) And how those who occupy it age. (Not well, typically.) And his defense there. (Suboptimal.) And its value compared to other positions. (Much less.) And his cost. (He turned down more than $150 million last year.) And how that compares to his peers. (Freddie Freeman, arguably the best of them, received $162 million over six years.)"

Alonso is talented, no doubt about it. He's on pace to post an .800 or higher OPS for each of the first six years of his career. Alonso should eclipse 30 home runs this year, making it the fifth time he's done that in six MLB seasons. The other year was the shortened Covid season, where he hit 16 homers in the 57 games he played.

But the market for first baseman just isn't what he wants it to be. He likely won't get the $200 million contract that he has his sights set on and he's in for a rude awakening when he enters the open market and none of the deals are what he was expecting.

Somebody will take a chance on his for over $150 million though. The Mets have already shown a willingness to do so, and they would likely dish out that kind of money for him again, unless they spend it all bringing Juan Soto to town.