There’s no bigger issue the New York Mets need to address this winter than the long-term future of Pete Alonso.
The slugging first baseman can become a free agent after the 2024 season. With Alonso’s track record of success and popularity among his teammates and Mets fans, coupled with Steve Cohen’s willingness to spend big money, it once appeared to be a no-brainer that a contract extension would be hammered out well ahead of free agency.
Slow that roll.
Per Ken Rosenthal’s report in The Athletic, the Mets seriously considered trading Alonso to the Milwaukee Brewers before the deadline. In fact, Rosenthal reported that a deal was within “field-goal range,” per a Milwaukee source.
Other teams, including the Chicago Cubs, also engaged the Mets in talks about Alonso. Now, were the Mets shopping Alonso, looking to improve their prospect pool? Or was general manager Billy Eppler simply doing his due diligence, fielding calls from teams and seeing what Alonso’s trade market is?
We don’t know because the Mets, rightfully so, aren’t answering questions about a trade that never happened.
As for Alonso, he stated simply, “I love representing this organization. Being a Met is the only thing I know … I don’t know what the future holds but right now I’m a Met and I love being a Met.”
With this news out there, it behooves the Mets to act decisively on Alonso’s future this offseason. Sign him to a long-term extension or explore more deeply moving him.
Yes, Aaron Judge thrived in his walk year with the New York Yankees in 2022. But the Mets and Alonso don’t need the daily speculation next season if his future remains up in the air.
That said, let’s examine why the Mets could part ways with Alonso and why they should keep him long term.
Related: New York Mets standing in Sportsnaut’s MLB power rankings
Why the New York Mets could consider Pete Alonso trade
Let’s be honest, there aren’t many good reasons to trade your best player.
You consider it if your team is going nowhere, needs to tear down and rebuild and could benefit from acquiring a top prospect or two or three in return.
Or you might do it if you can’t afford financially to keep him, know he doesn’t plan on re-signing, or is blatantly unhappy and/or a disruptive presence.
Pretty much none of these apply to Alonso and the Mets.
The one thing we don’t know about is if Alonso wants out and/or wishes to try free agency and sell himself to the highest bidder. Of course, if the Mets want him, they can outbid any team to retain Alonso.
But if they have an inkling that Alonso wants out or prefers another market and money doesn’t matter (well, it always matters …) then trading him is better than seeing him walk away and getting nothing of value in return.
And we know it’s a Mets priority to stockpile top prospects and rebuild their farm system.
So, there is a path to Alonso being moved this winter or before the 2024 MLB trade deadline.
But this remains an unlikely outcome because …
There are overwhelming number of reasons for Mets to keep Pete Alonso long term.
Difficult for the New York Mets to justify a Pete Alonso trade
And yes, it’s understood this is the organization that once traded away Tom Seaver.
But dealing aging hired guns Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander before the deadline during a season that already had blown up in your face?
Makes sense.
Dealing a proven cleanup hitter who’s in his prime and has a strong bond with your fanbase when you expect to be a contender and need a steady veteran to guide all those prospects you’ve traded for?
Not so much.
No MLB player has hit more home runs than Alonso (185) since he reached the majors in 2019. He owns the Mets single-season home run record (53) and is one homer shy of reaching the 40-homer plateau for the third time in five seasons (including the 2020 pandemic-shortened season). To put that in perspective, only three Mets in their 62-year history have even a single 40-home run season (Carlos Beltran and Todd Hundley, 41; Mike Piazza, 40).
So, not only is he an elite slugger. Alonso is a franchise icon. And a homegrown stud, as well, drafted and developed by the Mets.
After leading the National League with 131 RBI last season, he’s five runs-batted-in shy of a third 100-ribby season.
Yes, his batting average (.222) is roughly 40 points below where it typically is. But that hasn’t stopped Alonso yet again being a consistent power threat and run producer. That he does it for a team that, outside of Francisco Lindor and Francisco Alvarez, doesn’t provide much protection in the batting order, speaks to Alonso’s value to the Mets.
He has value off the field, too. Alonso has embraced New York. And Mets fans have embraced him. Homegrown, blue collar, down to earth. Alonso is a perfect fit in New York. And has proven he can thrive under Big Apple pressure and intense media attention. Not a lot of players can say that.
Yes, it’s going to take a lot of money to keep Alonso with the Mets long term. Perhaps eight years and $240 million?
But there are too many good reasons to keep Pete Alonso long term. And not nearly enough to ship him out of New York.