LAS VEGAS — Pete Alonso literally could have signed elsewhere while you read this sentence.
Most Mets fans may not want to deal with that reality. But there was nearly a divorce last offseason, when Alonso was first a free agent, and the likelihood seems greater now.
Alonso lingered to spring training 2025 before agreeing to what amounted to a one-year, $30 million contract to stay a Met. He then had a strong season — second in the majors in RBIs, fifth in extra-base hits, eighth in homers. That, combined with the absence of a qualifying offer this time, should make him more appealing, though his profile remains widely unloved within the industry: a righty-hitting, righty-fielding first baseman in his 30s (he will be 31 on Dec. 7) who brings little defensive or baserunning value.
That profile curtailed David Stearns’ appetite for the long, lucrative deal that Alonso had sought — and is seeking again. And Stearns was vehement in postseason comments about upgrading “run prevention,” which is not Alonso’s strength. On Tuesday, Stearns insisted Alonso could improve defensively while mainly speaking vaguely about anything to do with the slugger.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
