Pete Alonso will be looking for a huge payday this offseason as he hits free agency for the first time. But, the big question is, will the All-Star slugger return to the New York Mets?
That decision lies in the hands of team owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns. The Mets have nearly $200 million coming off their books heading into 2025, so they have plenty of money to spend in the offseason.
Alonso is definitely a sentimental favorite among the franchise and fans. The homegrown first baseman has accumulated 226 home runs in his first six seasons and is just 27 home runs away from breaking Darryl Strawberry’s club record.
This past season, Alonso slashed .240/.329/.459, with 34 home runs, 88 runs batted in, and a 123 OPS+. He was durable, playing in all 162 games.
Alonso also had a postseason Mets fans will never forget, connecting on four home runs, including the three-run bomb off Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams that sent the Mets to the NLDS. The Mets’ magical run would end against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.
However, there’s another big fish in free agency this winter by the name of Juan Soto, who could be commanding a contract in the $600 million range.
Would the Mets prioritize one over the other or would they try to sign both?
New York Mets executive discusses Pete Alonso’s future
In June 2023, Alonso turned down a reported seven-year, $158 million extension. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden predicts the four-time All-Star will get seven years, $204 million.
During an end-of-season press conference, Stearns told reporters that he never personally talked with Alonso about a contract.
“Pete and I frankly have never talked about his contract face to face,” Stearns said, via the New York Post’s Mike Puma. “I think those conversations are best left with the player’s representative, but he is very invested in our group and was certainly very invested in our team this year and got some enormous hits for us down the stretch.”
David Stearns says he has never spoken with Pete Alonso about his contract situation face-to-face
Stearns on Alonso’s dedication to the Mets: “He’s very invested in our group” pic.twitter.com/IPGYpAvTBC
— SNY (@SNYtv) October 23, 2024
Stearns added they will have to evaluate the market before deciding if they will make an offer to Alonso or not.
“There is no magic formula,” Stearns noted. “There is no equation that spits out what all of that is for us. There is judgment involved. There’s evaluating the market involved and then we’ll see how this process goes throughout the offseason.”
“He’s a great Met, I hope we have him back”
David Stearns on Pete Alonso’s upcoming free agency: pic.twitter.com/WXQwImXA1f
— SNY (@SNYtv) October 23, 2024
In the end, though, Stearns would like Alonso back in Queens.
“He’s a great Met. I hope we have him back.”
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