Pete Alonso’s Question Marks: What Makes Him a High-Risk Free Agency Option
Pete Alonso‘s six seasons spent with the New York Mets have proven to the baseball world how big of an asset he can be to any MLB team’s lineup.
The Polar Bear’s 226 home runs since debuting with the Mets in 2019 is the second-most in MLB, only falling six bombs short of Aaron Judge.
That sort of power rarely becomes available in free agency and conveys why Alonso is sure to make a lot of money this winter.
But it’s not all positive when it comes to Alonso’s free agency outlook. And in a November 25 article, Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer conveyed why whichever team signs him this offseason will be taking on a good deal of risk.
“How big of a deal is it that Alonso is coming off his worst season?” Rymer wrote.
“It was his worst according to his .788 OPS, anyway, and there are real issues underneath that number. A career-high rate of ground balls is one. He also didn’t pull as many fly balls as he usually does.
“More generally, the aging curve for right-handed-hitting, right-handed-throwing first basemen is rough. Even Albert Pujols didn’t last long as a star after turning 30, and Alonso will arrive at that point on December 7,” he added.
Perhaps Alonso will prove that he’s an outlier among aging first basemen in the coming years. Either way, he has become a fan favorite in Queens over the past few seasons and will most likely be remembered fondly by Mets fans regardless of where he’s playing in 2025.
