Breaking: Alonso’s Next Deal, A Record-Breaker
It was certainly a magical season for the New York Mets in 2024. With the deep run, the turnaround to the offseason is much, much quicker. Monday marks the opening of free agency and the Mets have several that are set to hit the open market. Of those, none are more prominent than New York’s first baseman Pete Alonso.
Alonso is set to be one of the top bats on the market. Across his six years with the Mets, he has slugged 226 home runs, the second-most in the majors over this time, trailing only soon to be two-time American League MVP Aaron Judge (232). Alonso has been one of the most impactful power bats since entering the league in 2019, owning a 134 OPS+ and a career OPS of .854. Bringing him back would likely result in Alonso smashing the franchise’s all-time home run record, which currently sits at 252 (Darryl Strawberry).
Furthering the emotional aspect of the situation, Alonso had arguably one of the biggest home runs in team history this postseason. His go-ahead, three-run shot in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Milwaukee Brewers will go down in Mets history. Add in his terrific track record, and the fact he is on pace to smash all kinds of Mets power records, it’s extremely hard to balance the emotion of wanting to retain a potential franchise legend with what is smartest for the team.
Of course, a reunion will be largely dependent on one thing; the new contract. Alonso is by no means old, as he will be only 30 come the beginning of 2025. However, once you get on the wrong side of 30, a player’s prime quickly gets farther and farther away. So, despite the emotional aspect of the situation, the Mets must be careful.
