The New York Mets, along with four other Major League Baseball teams, are holding their breath all weekend.

That’s because Juan Soto, the wildly talented outfielder who led the New York Yankees to the 2024 World Series, is now a free agent. It seems more likely every day that Soto will sign for over $700 million, and the Mets might be the most likely team to give him the money.

Then again, the Yankees are the Yankees, and Soto seemed genuinely happy there. Additionally, the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers have all met the 26-year-old star. The Mets need to be prepared for the distinct possibility that Soto goes elsewhere.

Luckily, they have a pretty well-defined backup plan.

Newsday’s David Lennon recently predicted free agent destinations for several stars, and he predicted a reunion between the Soto and the Yankees. But he also predicted that first baseman Pete Alonso would re-sign with the Mets, returning the four-time All-Star to his only major league home, Queens.

“After a subpar year of running by his high standards, Alonso appeared to be out of Flushing until he restored his hero status with a memorable October,” Lennon said.

“That was probably enough to convince owner Steve Cohen to keep the homegrown polar bear at Citi Field for a while longer, if not the rest of his career.”

Alonso, now 30, has been one of the most productive hitters in baseball over the past six years. He has 226 career home runs, just 26 shy of Daryl Strawberry’s Mets franchise record. If he sticks with it, he will break that record within a year, assuming he stays healthy.

Tim Britton of The Athletic projects Alonso to sign a five-year, $130 million contract. It may not be the deal he was seeking before this year, but it’s still life-changing money, and it could keep him in the Mets’ hopeful pursuit of a championship.

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