Jesse Winker returns to Mets while Pete Alonso’s future with team appears shaky

NEW YORK — The Mets are bringing back one favorite while rumors and reports about another seem to be changing by the hour.

Pending a physical, Jesse Winker is coming back to the Mets on a one-year contract, $8 million contract with incentives, the New York Daily News confirmed Thursday. This gives the Mets a left-handed bat to platoon at DH with right-handed Starling Marte and another reserve outfielder, though the Mets are pretty heavy on those already. Marte is still expected to play right field at times to spell Juan Soto, the team’s offseason prize.

After hitting .243 with three home runs in 44 regular-season games for the Mets last season, the trade deadline acquisition endeared himself to fans and teammates alike with some clutch hits in the postseason. While Winker might have been reviled by other fans around the league, the 31-year-old was embraced by Mets fans for his style of play and his personality on and off the field.

A Buffalo, N.Y., native who grew up in Orlando, Fla., Winker already had a familiarity with some of his Mets teammates, including Francisco Lindor and Edwin Diaz, from his days playing travel ball in Florida. It was an instant fit after he came to New York in a trade with the Washington Nationals in July.

Now, let’s talk about Pete Alonso.

Over the holidays, there were reports of a $90 million contract being offered by the Mets to Alonso. Then, there was a report that his agent, Scott Boras, was seeking a deal in the $200 million realm, comparable to the contract the Detroit Tigers gave Prince Fielder in 2012.

There was optimism Alonso would return to the team that drafted and developed him. That optimism was almost immediately followed by pessimism when other teams started to check in on the Polar Bear. Then, optimism again that he could take a short-term high AAV pillow contract. Somewhere in there was a report about the Mets checking in on Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but a source told The News the Jays don’t seem interested in trading their young slugger, who will be a free agent after the 2025 season.

About 15 minutes after the Winker news broke, SNY’s Andy Martino said the Mets are ready to pivot away from Alonso to “Plan B.” Maybe it’s posturing. Maybe the clock has simply struck midnight on the first baseman. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns doesn’t typically like to employ public negotiation tactics, but some agents, including Boras, don’t have a problem with using the media to put pressure on a team by stoking the fires of the fans.

The Mets would like to have their team in place before spring training, which is less than a month away, and they’re still thin on relief arms. If they need to fill first base, Mark Vientos would move across the diamond from third base. However, that leaves a hole at the hot corner. Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña could fill that spot, but that’s a gamble.

Mauricio had two knee surgeries in the last year and may not be ready for spring training. Acuña deserves a runway in spring training, especially after putting up gaudy numbers in winter ball (.337 with a .914 OPS and three home runs in 119 plate appearances), but the 22-year-old has never played third base at any professional level.

Then there’s Baty, who has not panned out as the Mets had hoped after drafting him in the first round in 2019. Baty took a big step defensively early last year, but couldn’t hit enough to stay in the big leagues. The Mets have discussed the possibility of using him in a utility role and had him play second base in Triple-A, but if he’s still hitting the ball on the ground and not hitting it hard, it would be tough to justify putting him in the lineup every day.

Alonso lengthens the lineup and makes the Mets better defensively on the right side, especially since Soto’s one deficiency is his outfield defense. With the Mets eyeing a title, a third base platoon doesn’t seem like a good idea. But if a deal isn’t reached with Alonso, it could be what the Mets decide to go forward with.