Toronto Blue Jays hopeful of signing polar bear Alonso?

SNY's Andy Martino reported claiming that even after signing Juan Soto on a super contract earlier this winter offseason, the Mets have left the door open for the return of free agent first baseman Pete Alonso. However, with the two sides still far apart in negotiations, the team now believes that Alonso is likely to sign for another team.

On Thursday, the Mets took another step to bolster their line, reportedly agreeing a one-year, $7.5 million contract with outfielder Jesse Winkel. According to Martino, Winkel's contract is part of the Mets' post-Alonso fulcrum plan, which is also expected to include the signing of a substitute player.

According to Joel Sherman's report in the New York Post, the Mets made "what they consider to be a last-ditch effort" to re-sign Alonso, offering a three-year contract for around $70 million, slightly more than another strong first baseman, Christian Walker, who signed a three-year contract with the Astros earlier this offseason worth a total of $60 million.

While Alonso doesn't have too many obvious fits outside of Queens, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Will Samon have reported that at least two more clubs are in the process of communicating with the first-base gun. The Blue Jays are one of them, the other being a mystery, despite Alonso's recent links with the Giants and Angels.

Considering the Blue Jays already have star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on their roster, Toronto is still interested in Alonso. Guerrero Jr. has reportedly been considered a potential deal due to the distance between the two parties in the contract extension talks. However, according to Rosenthal, the club's intention is not to sign Alonso and then trade Guerrero Jr. Instead, the Blue Jays are looking to add Alonso to improve their chances of making the playoffs with Guerreiro Jr. in the final year of his contract.