Mets still have Pete Alonso, other free agency questions to answer
DALLAS — Juan Soto is headed to the Mets on a record 15-year contract worth $765 million in a muscle flex that is sure to resonate throughout the game and beyond.
A few questions to consider in the wake of the historic contract:
What does this mean for Pete Alonso?
It could very well mean he is headed to the Yankees, who have plenty of money to spend after missing on Soto and a need for additional power and a first baseman.
Alonso, 30, had a down year by his standards last season, posting a .240/.329/.459 slash line with 34 homers and 88 RBIs.
It’s certainly not the walk year he wanted after turning down a proposed contract extension the previous season that The Post’s Joel Sherman reported would cover seven years and pay him $158 million.
Alonso has repeatedly said he wants to remain with the Mets, but those chances may have diminished with Soto’s contract.
Even so, he is part of the organization’s fabric and it wouldn’t be shocking if the two sides found common ground on a new contract.
The Mets still have a lot of needs, so now what?
First and foremost, the team needs another starting pitcher (at least one) even after adding Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes in recent weeks.
Sean Manaea, who excelled for the team last season, is a free agent but you have to wonder if Soto’s huge deal eliminates the possibility of the Mets offering a contract for a pitcher that could approach or surpass nine figures.
Walker Buehler and Nathan Eovaldi are among the names that could make sense for the Mets, who watched Luis Severino depart last week on a three-year contract from the A’s worth $67 million.
Follow The Post’s coverage of Juan Soto’s historic megadeal with the Mets:
How high will this payroll go?
The Mets are sitting at $251 million for luxury tax purposes for next season with Soto’s contract included, according to FanGraphs.
So it’s possible (with Alonso looming large in the equation) the Mets will surpass $301 million — the threshold that carries the highest level of penalties under the competitive-balance tax system.
Any issue for Francisco Lindor that Soto more than doubled his contract?
There shouldn’t be.
Start with the fact Lindor decided to forgo free agency and accept a 10-year contract worth $341 million after arriving to the Mets in a trade.
Also, Soto is only 26 years old and baseball’s economics have changed in the four years since Lindor was traded to the Mets.
The Mets sure seem to be stockpiling ex-Yankees, is there anything to that?
It’s a list that last season included Severino and Harrison Bader.
This offseason, it’s Holmes, Montas and Soto.
Some of it’s coincidental, but manager Carlos Mendoza (a former Yankees coach) has valued input in organizational decisions.
Soto is a no-brainer regardless of where he’s played previously.