The New York Mets had “no chance” of re-signing one pending free agent before Thursday’s decisive moment in Game 3 of their Wild Card series, according to a new report.
That free agent? Pete Alonso, whose three-run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers silenced a stunned crowd and set up the Mets for a National League Division Series date with the Philadelphia Phillies.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Mets owner Steve Cohen “would have made Alonso some sort of perfunctory offer had the Mets gone out in the wild-card round with only whimpers from Alonso. But there would have been no excitement, no momentum, really no chance for Alonso to be back in a Mets uniform.”
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported the Mets offered Alonso a seven-years, $158 million contract extension last year — one that would cover his final season of arbitration eligibility, then six more years.
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Heyman reported Friday that such an offer was unlikely to come from any club after a season in which Alonso hit only three home runs after Sept. 3 with the Mets chasing down a playoff spot.
Alonso, 29, is a four-time All-Star and two-time Home Run Derby champion whose best skill is his power. He hit a record 53 home runs as a rookie in 2019, claiming the National League Rookie of the Year award.
The last four years, Alonso has averaged 39 home runs per season. But the perception that he could not deliver in the clutch perhaps would have impeded a lucrative payday this winter, at least in Queens.
Pete Alonso of the @Mets is the first player in MLB history to hit a go-ahead HR while trailing in the 9th inning or later of a winner-take-all postseason game.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 4, 2024
“Until the home run that left Brewers fans crying in their Miller beers,” Heyman wrote, “Alonso’s most important five hits all came in the first half, based on win probability added.”
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The Mets will play the Philadelphia Phillies in the best-of-five NL Division Series beginning Saturday in Philadelphia. Once again, they’ll be the underdogs. After a whirlwind week, anything seems possible.
Monday, the Mets played a doubleheader in Atlanta facing the prospect of being eliminated from the postseason altogether. The Braves and Mets each won a game, allowing both teams to move on to the Wild Card round.
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Then Thursday in Milwaukee, the Mets trailed 2-0 in the ninth inning against Brewers closer Devin Williams when Alonso stroked a three-run home run to win the game — and the series. For the second time in the span of four days, their season was saved.
Alonso’s tenure in New York might have been saved, too.
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