The New York Mets went into the offseason hoping to either retain All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso long-term or come out of the winter with a new face of the franchise like Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Instead, the Mets will enter spring training uncertain of Alonso’s future while Yamamoto is in Los Angeles.
After striking out on the top, young free agents available this offseason, New York pivoted to smaller moves. The decision was made to ensure long-term financial flexibility, which the team needed after covering the partial salaries of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer in trades last year.
- Pete Alonso contract: $20.5 million in 2024, free agent in 2025
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Mets’ president of baseball operations David Stearns admitted to the AP’s Chuck King that the team is unlikely to agree to terms on a long-term deal with Alonso this season. As a result, he will hit free agency next winter.
While the Mets came out of the winter with financial maneuverability for the future, giving owner Steve COhen a chance to spend big on some top free agents next winter, it appears New York has also closed the door on a contract extension with Alonso.
“That’s probably the most likely outcome. Look, when you have a really talented player, who’s really good, who’s entering his final year of club control, who happens to be represented by Scott Boras, these things generally end up into free agency and we understand that. This is an organization that’s dealt with that before with really good players and has ended up in a perfectly fine spot.”
New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns on contract talks with Pete Alonso
While it’s of no surprise that a top player represented by Scott Boras intends to test MLB free agency, New York’s public admittance this early that it won’t be able to sign him to a contract extension doesn’t bode well for how negotiations went between the two sides.
- Pete Alonso stats (2023): .225/.327/.525, .853 OPS, 41 home runs, 100 RBI, 131 wRC+
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Alonso, entering his age-29 season, remains one of the best power hitters in MLB. While his batting average plummeted 60 points last season and his OBP fell to a career-worst .318, he still posted a .500-plus slugging percentage for the third consecutive season.
If Alonso tests free agency, there’s a much higher probability that this is the last season he puts on a Mets uniform. Boras is very comfortable letting his clients wait until spring training to sign new contracts, as evidenced by Matt Chapman still being unsigned. If Alonso does leave the team, it will raise new questions about how long it will be until New York becomes a World Series contender again.
