A majority of Mets fans were upset by the franchise’s refusal to engage home run leader Pete Alonso in long-term contract talks.
His close friend and erstwhile teammate, Jeff McNeil, was caught off guard by it, too.
“I think it definitely was a little bit surprising the Mets weren’t too in on him,” McNeil said Tuesday on a Zoom call, one day after he became the latest Mets player sent out of town, traded to the A’s for a minor league pitcher. “I know he’s one of the best first basemen in baseball, and who doesn’t want that on your team? I know he was in some talks with the Orioles, Red Sox, I knew a few other teams were out there who really wanted him.
“At the end of it, you really want to go to a place you’re truly wanted. For him, I think that was the Orioles. Super-happy he got that deal he wanted. He’s going to have a great year. … He’s going to go there and mash.”
It has been a stunning offseason in Queens. Alonso left for the Orioles, inking a five-year, $155 million deal. The Mets never made him a formal offer.
McNeil and Brandon Nimmo were traded, and free agent closer Edwin Díaz joined the Dodgers.
The core will have a vastly different look in 2026 after the disappointing Mets missed the postseason by one game. It’s fair to wonder if they would’ve operated in the same manner had they reached the playoffs.
“That’s hard to decide. We missed the playoffs by one game. If we get in the playoffs, are we blowing up the team? Who knows,” the 33-year-old McNeil said. “It is a business, though, and the Mets decided to go this route, thinking it’s best for them in the long run. I want to wish them the best of luck, but for me, I’m an A now, super-excited to play with this young core. Ready to get going.”
The first hint for McNeil that he could be on the move came in late November, when Nimmo was dealt to the Rangers for second baseman Marcus Semien.
Nimmo himself thought he would be a Met for a long time. McNeil got the news Tuesday afternoon from GM David Stearns while he was on the golf course.
There has been a lot of talk in recent weeks about issues in the clubhouse. The Post reported last month that McNeil and Francisco Lindor had a heated confrontation last season following a defensive breakdown in a game against the Phillies on June 20. McNeil didn’t offer much insight into whatever was going on behind closed doors.
“I don’t want to speak too much on it. We had a great clubhouse, we got along really well,” he said. “It’s just like every other clubhouse, stuff is going to happen. It was nothing crazy at all,” he said.
McNeil was positive about his time in Queens. Across eight seasons, he posted a slash line of .284/.351/.428 with an OPS of .779, won a batting title in 2022 and was selected to the All-Star team in 2019 and 2022.
“First off, I just want to say thank you to everybody in the Mets organization,” he said. “They were fantastic to me. I really loved my time there, getting drafted by them in 2013 and spending my entire career there. I have a lot of great memories. Love the people there.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
