Pete Alonso & The Mets Belong Together - Now Get a Deal Done
It is long overdue that the Mets and their slugging first baseman agree to extend what has been a heaven-sent partnership thus far...
We’re deep in the heart of the offseason, and hurtling towards the middle of January already, and yet Pete Alonso remains unsigned.
Also left twisting in the free agency winds is Alex Bregman, who still remains without a home despite being a two-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion. You can read my piece on why I think Bregman would be a perfect fit for the Tigers by clicking the link below:
However, today’s focus is on Alonso and why it is long overdue the All-Star slugger and the New York Mets renew their marriage vows and put an end to this now tedious offseason saga.
To catch you up, Alonso hit the open market after the conclusion of the 2024 season and, with the all-powerful Scott Boras as his agent, entered free agency looking for a blockbuster payday either with the Mets or with another team.
As it turned out, though, the market for Alonso has been almost non-existent from day one, with a return to Queens always viewed as the most logical and likely outcome for the homegrown Met.
Yet, despite interest from both sides in a reunion, Alonso still remains without a home and the Mets remain without a much-needed big bat to support their newly-formed, star-studded two-headed monster in Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor. Alonso wants his big payday - and the security of a long-term deal - while the Mets are interested in bringing back their first baseman, but only on their terms.
Granted, apparent progress has been made in recent days with MLB Network radio host Jim Duquette reporting that Alonso’s camp has offered the Mets a three-year deal with opt-outs. That comes after Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that Alonso was looking for a deal in the six-year range, while SNY’s Andy Martino expressed that “it’s truly a coin flip” whether Alonso is with the Mets on Opening Day. For context, it is also worth noting that Alonso reportedly turned down a seven-year, $158 million extension from the Mets during the 2023 regular season. That just goes to show how much the infielder’s market has frozen.
At this point, speculation about Alonso’s future has become exhausting and the point remains that Alonso and the Mets belong together. All that remains for the two sides to do is to strap on their big boy pants, let logic and common sense win the day and come to an agreement that works for all parties.
Because, when you look at this with a 30,000 ft view, it would be stupid for Alonso to sign elsewhere, and it would be unwise for the Mets to move on from one of the best power hitters in franchise history unless they have a gold proof backup plan already in place. You could make the argument that signing Bregman to play third and shifting Mark Vientos over to first base would actually make the Mets a fundamentally better baseball team, but it seems unlikely at this point that Bregman will end up in Queens.
So, with that in mind, bringing Alonso back makes the most sense for the Mets and they need to make that proposition a reality before any more damage is done. After all, we’re only weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting, and having Alonso miss any amount of spring training could have serious repercussions for the 2025 season. Alonso is a 30-year-old power hitter who is going to need every single day of camp in order to lock in, ramp up and get his body and mind ready for the long slog of a regular season schedule. You don’t want the masher playing catch up from day one and that then being parlayed into a slow start, which could end up hurting player and team the rest of the way.
You can also make a compelling case that the Mets need to add another significant bat to the lineup with or without Alonso. The lineup as presently constituted needs lengthening and deepening, and there is also a need to give Soto some protection. Alonso would tick all those boxes. Sure, he endured a bit of a down year in 2024 and certain things just didn’t look right with his approach at the plate. He also stunk in clutch situations - he hit just .232 with runners in scoring position and .215 with men on last year. However, Alonso still ended the regular season with 34 home runs and 88 RBIs, before doing nothing but delivering monster hit after monster hit during the Mets’ magical postseason run. If he can make some mechanical adjustments at the plate, plus with Lindor and Soto both ahead of him in the lineup, you would figure that Alonso could be in line for a much more productive season in 2025.
As for Alonso’s own motivations, signing with any other team not named the Mets simply doesn’t make sense. He has consistently spoken of his desire to finish his career as a forever Met, as well as his dream of winning a championship in Queens. The Mets, with Soto, owner Steve Cohen’s never-ending wealth and one of the smartest baseball minds in the game in president of baseball operations David Stearns, are now poised to morph into a perennial World Series contender. Alonso has a far better chance of winning a ring if he remains with the Mets, as opposed to signing with teams like the Red Sox, the Angels and the Giants, who are all nowhere close to being in contention to win.
Then there’s the legacy aspect, which is a really important piece of the entire Alonso conversation. As things stand, the destroyer of baseballs is on pace to finish his career as the best pure power hitter in Mets franchise history. He currently ranks third all-time in home runs (226) behind David Wright (242) and Darryl Strawberry (252). Given that Alonso has hit 34 or more home runs in each of his last four seasons, it is incredibly likely that Alonso ends up surpassing both Wright and Strawberry to take the crown as the Mets’ all-time home run king as soon as 2025, should he opt to return to Queens. Both Wright and Strawberry are revered icons by Mets fans, and Alonso is on pace to soon join them on the mountaintop of franchise greats.
That kind of career legacy isn’t available anywhere else, and it would all go in the tank if Alonso opted to chase more money elsewhere in Anaheim or in San Francisco. I would ask Pete these two things: Would a little extra money really be worth sacrificing being remembered and revered as an all-time Met once your playing days are over? Would an extra couple of years really be worth ending the chance to one day have your No. 20 jersey retired in the rafters of Citi Field forever?
I think I know the true answer to both of those questions.
Furthermore, you would think it would actually behoove Scott Boras to want to get Alonso back with the Mets as quickly as possible. After all, he has another high-profile client on the Mets in Soto, and does he really want to risk pissing off the prized possession in his stable by continuing to play these stupid reindeer games with Alonso and the Mets? If Soto has grand ambitions to carve out a stellar first season in Queens, and to lead his new team to the World Series, then his odds of accomplishing both would arguably be bolstered significantly by having Alonso in the lineup. Boras would be smart to keep his biggest sparkling prize - and any future clients who may want to team up with Soto and Alonso down the road - happy by delivering a swift resolution to the mess he’s helped create.
Overall, any baseball fan with one iota of common sense would tell you that the Mets and Alonso are a marriage made in heaven. Breaking up that happy union just wouldn’t make sense no matter how you try and frame it.
It is in everyone’s best interests for a deal to get done between Pete Alonso and the New York Mets as soon as possible.
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