While New York sports radio and social media would make you think fans would riot if the New York Mets let Pete Alonso walk in free agency this winter, it seems that a majority of fans would be fine if that scenario happened.
This will be another big offseason for the Mets. But not because they are trying to take another step closer to their first championship since 1986. No, they will be looking to get back to the playoffs after a historic collapse to end the 2025 season. And it seems that the way they finished may have changed the fan base’s perspective on certain players. Specifically, Pete Alonso.
Last winter, Mets supporters were ready to rage if the homegrown All-Star signed a contract with another team. Bringing him back was a top priority for many fans. However, this year seems to be a lot different. On Wednesday, The Athletic released the survey results of various questions posed to nearly 5,000 Mets fans.
When asked, “What should be the Mets’ No. 1 priority this winter?” re-signing Alonso got just 16% of the votes. This was third behind acquiring an ace (55%) and even behind making sure they bring back closer Edwin Diaz (21%).
- Pete Alonso stats: .272 AVG, .347 OBP, .524 SLG, .871 OBP, 38 HR, 126 RBI, 87 R
New York Mets fans don’t want Pete Alonso to get a long-term contract?
On the question of what type of contract the club should offer the five-time All-Star, the popular option, with 48% of the vote, was to give him a similar deal as they did a year ago — a short-term pact with a high annual average. Making sure they kept him with the team for life received 43% of the vote, while 9% were fine moving on from the first baseman completely.
Another fascinating bit of data from the survey was the fact that in January of last year, half of Mets fans would have been “devastated” if they lost the fan-favorite slugger. However, in October of this year, that number fell all the way to 10%. Fans being “disappointed” about his departure rose from 44% to 67%, while a sizable 21% claimed they would feel “indifferent” to his exit in the new survey.
It seems that while radio hosts in New York and loud fans on social media would have you believe the Mets must bring Pete Alonso back for 2026 and beyond, a majority of actual fans would like him to stay but are far more accepting of life after Alonso now.
Alonso is expected to opt out of the final year in the two-year, $54 million deal he signed earlier this year.
