Pete Alonso contract details with Mets show Tigers should've waited it out

On Wednesday night, Mets slugger Pete Alonso finally re-signed with the New York Mets after long and evidently difficult free agency. Alonso had been linked to various squads from the moment he hit the free agent market — including the Detroit Tigers, albeit loosely — but he seemed to favor returning to Queens. That was complicated by a frankly ridiculous asking price modeled on Prince Fielder's nine-year, $214 million contract signed in 2012.

Steve Cohen, the richest owner in baseball, even admitted that talks with Alonso and agent Scott Boras had been exhausting. It's difficult, nearing impossible, to empathize with a multibillionaire's unwillingness to pay a guy, but Alonso asking for nine years when he's already 30 and his power's taking a nosedive? And at nearly $24 million a year? No one in their right mind would dole out a contract like that.

And Cohen ultimately didn't have to. The Mets won the staring contest as Alonso re-signed for two years (with an opt-out after the first) and $54 million — he'll make $30 million in 2025. He took this offer over three guaranteed years and $71 million.

That sounds a lot like a deal even the Tigers could've made. Alonso always seemed way too far outside of their price range, but $54 million? Frustratingly doable. And even if Alonso wasn't willing to sign such a deal with a different team? Why not a $100+ million contract with opt outs to further entice him? Well, the problem is they already signed Gleyber Torres over a month ago and announced plans to shift Colt Keith to first base.

Mets re-sign Pete Alonso to a contract the Tigers definitely could've afforded

Of course, no one knew that Alonso would be so stubborn about his free agency and risk the same fate as Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger, Jordan Montgomery, and Co. last season, when they also played chicken and all ended up blinking first. However, if the Tigers had sniffed that out sooner, maybe they could've avoided signing Torres. They would've been able to keep Keith at second and had a clear replacement for Spencer Torkelson, who they could've traded when more teams were still on the market for first basemen.

One guaranteed year is also the Tigers' bread and butter at this point. All four of the free agents they signed this offseason are on different variations of one-year deals. Jack Flaherty's contract is one year with an option for a second, and Detroit will be paying him nearly the same amount as the Mets will pay Alonso in 2025 ($25 million for Flaherty, $30 million for Alonso).

Hindsight is 20/20 and all that, but it's definitely discouraging for Tigers fans to see Alonso go off the market at such a shockingly reasonable price, knowing they could've potentially gone higher than the Mets' three-year offer with the chance of securing an elite power bat.