The MLB winter meetings are here and outfielder Juan Soto is still a free agent. As soon as the 26-year-old decides where to sign a high-dollar contract, the market for first baseman Pete Alonso is likely to heat up. Will the New York Mets find a way to bring their homegrown slugger back to Queens on a multi-year deal?

Alonso has been a fixture in the Mets’ midfield since being named the 2019 National League Rookie of the Year. His 226 home runs already rank third in franchise history. He also never finished a 162-game season with fewer than 34 home runs or 88 RBI.

The 30-year-old slugger has been linked to other teams since free agency opened, including the Washington Nationals and Seattle Mariners. However, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller believes the Polar Bear will remain with the Mets.

He shared several predictions for the winter meetings. Although Soto is re-signing with the New York Yankees, he expects the Mets to be quite active. Miller expects Alonso to return to the Mets on a seven-year, $182 million contract. He also believes they will sign either Corbin Burnes or Max Fried to the starting lineup.

Miller also believes the Mets could move up with Joc Pederson and Randal Grichuk as designated hitters and supplement the bullpen by landing a reliever like AJ Minter, Paul Sewald or David Robertson.

Alonso and agent Scott Boras rejected a $158 million extension from the Mets in June 2023. Spotrac puts his market value at six years and $174 million. It will be interesting to see how the bat market moves once Soto is officially off the board.

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