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The New York Mets may have caught the biggest fish in free agency when they signed Juan Soto to a record-setting 15-year, $765 million deal that could be worth as much as $805 million, but their offseason maneuvering is far from over. In addition to having to sign a few more starting pitchers, especially following Luis Severino's departure, the Mets will also have to figure out what to do with first baseman Pete Alonso, who is looking for a big contract of his own.
At the very least, Mets owner Steve Cohen has expressed a willingness to re-sign Alonso all the while acknowledging that he's well within his rights to test the market. The hope, however, is that Alonso still sees the Mets as his long-term home and that they manage to meet in the middle, financially-speaking.
“We think he's a great Met and we're still engaged. We hope he stays as a Met. … He's entitled to go out, test his market and see what it is. Hopefully we'll get there,” Cohen said, per Tim Healey of Newsday Sports.
Cohen and Mets general manager David Stearns are on the same page with regards to wanting Alonso back with the team for the foreseeable future. Now that the Soto saga is done and dusted, they can now turn their attention towards the 30-year-old first baseman and satisfying his free-agent desires.
It will cost a pretty penny, however, for the Mets to retain Alonso's services. But Alonso, coming off his worst professional season yet in 2024 (he was worth just 2.1 WAR despite playing all 162 games, owing to a decline in his power production), might have to settle for a contract worth less than the seven-year, $158 million extension he rejected last offseason.
Pete Alonso might be on the decline, but will he re-sign with the Mets?
One of Pete Alonso's best assets as a big-leaguer is his durability; since becoming an everyday player back in 2019, Alonso has not played in fewer than 152 games (with the exception of the COVID-shortened 2020 season). He has also been a reliable source of power production, having tallied 226 home runs through his first six seasons in the big leagues.
Alonso, however, endured a bit of a decline in 2024. He posted a career-worst .459 slugging percentage, and considering that this is his chief moneymaker, there will be some concern over whether his best days are behind him, especially when he recently turned 30 years of age.
Perhaps the caution surrounding him will open the door for the Mets to re-sign him on a bit of a discount.
