Pete Alonso contract projections conflict potential Cubs interest

The Chicago Cubs are going to be in the market for power this offseason, both the pitching and hitting variety, as Jed Hoyer enters the final year of his contract as the team's President of Baseball Operations.

Barring the Cubs going on a round to end the season, not impossible, Hoyer will be entering a 2025 season where the team has yet to reach the postseason since he took over at the top of baseball operations.

Despite the urgency that would seemingly create for Hoyer this offseason, the early indications are that the Cubs will not shift their offseason spending strategy. The Cubs will not jump ahead of the market this offseason to sign the top free agents but rather, the team will hope that a free agent's asking price is high to the point where the market dries up as the offseason continues to the point where the Cubs can make an advantageous offer.

The Cubs will likely have a close eye on the development of Pete Alonso's market. The Cubs have been an oft-rumored trade suitor for Alonso but given the Mets being in contention this season and the ascension of Michael Busch, there wasn't a path for the two teams to have trade talks at the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline.

The Cubs' interest in Pete Alonso will be based on his market.

The Mets and Alonso, represented by Scott Boras, remain far apart in terms of a potential contract. Jone Heyman of the New York Post suggests that Boras may be seeking a contract for Alonso that rivals the $214MM deal Prince Fielder signed with the Detroit Tigers in 2012. Meanwhile, Heyman says the Mets place Alonso's contract projection around the $130MM-$162MM range.

The difference between the two projections will determine how serious, if any, the Cubs' interest in Alonso will be this offseason. Given the spending strategies that Hoyer has demonstrated in the past, the Cubs will not be going over $200MM in a potential offer for Alonso. But, if his market dries up and falls to the range that the Mets project, the Cubs may see that as an opportunity they can't pass up.