The New York Mets are heading into a contract year with star first baseman Pete Alonso, and it appears that he will head into the season without an extension, meaning that he will likely hit the open market, which is the common practice for Scott Boras clients. Still, Buster Olney of ESPN says it seems unlikely that Alonso does not remain on the Mets, even if he does hit free agency.

“Look, there's no doubt when you look at first basemen and how they've gotten paid, they've fallen way behind other positions,” Olney said, via the Baseball Tonight podcast. “You know teams really feel like they can replace a power guy, someone who's not necessarily elite defensively and you don't want to be stuck in a position where you might overpay them. I think this is an exception, you have a home grown player who has had a lot of success in New York. He's demonstrated comfort in New York, and on top of that you've got the Mets who are starved for power, the idea of losing Pete Alonso at this moment is unfathomable.”

It has been reported going back to the trade deadline surrounding the departures of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, that the Mets are focusing on competing in 2025, although they expect to compete for a playoff spot this upcoming season.

Alonso has embraced being a Met, and is a fan favorite. As Olney mentioned, the Mets need to retain Alonso's power in the lineup. If he departs in free agency, the Mets will have to sign someone else to fill that spot. For now, it seems that the expectation is that Alonso will eventually be a Met for life. It just might take a while.