Follow up: Wow, this opened my eyes although it really should not have; it's just that I needed to be reminded of how young Alonso is:
Quote:
|
Alonso, the Mets’ irrepressible first baseman, repeated as the Home Run Derby champion on Monday at Coors Field, winning the $1 million prize. He also won in Cleveland in 2019, before the pandemic canceled last year’s event ... The Home Run Derby did not have a cash prize back then. That incentive started in 2019, and with each victory, Alonso nearly doubled his salary in one night of epic slugging. In baseball’s pay structure, which is based largely on service time, Alonso made the $555,000 minimum as a rookie in 2019, and his salary now is just $676,775.
|
So if you discount the season-shortened 2020, Alonso is still like a sophomore. It seems like he's been around longer than that.
Well, we may disparage the Home Run Derby but winning it again has only raised Alonso's value on the market. The Mets are going to find it difficult — and expensive — to hold onto him in 2025.