The New York Mets had a whirlwind offseason last winter when they found a way to win the Juan Soto sweepstakes, but they’ll be tasked with more stress once again upon this season’s end.
First baseman Pete Alonso has an opt-out in his current deal after this season. He has slugged 37 home runs with 121 RBI’s, and is slashing .270/.345/.526 this season. His .270 batting average is his highest since 2022 (.271) and his .871 OPS is the highest mark since his rookie season in 2019 (.941).
Alonso entering pivotal free agency period
At 30-years-old, Alonso is sure to have quite the interesting market ahead this offseason. Yahoo’ Sports’ Jake Mintz recently ranked Alonso as the fifth-best free agent on the market later this winter.
“The franchise’s new all-time home run king has made meaningful changes to his already imposing offensive profile this season, but whether that step forward is enough to create a market that didn’t exist last season remains to be seen,” Mintz said. “Alonso is still a right-handed first baseman on the wrong side of 30. Some teams will be out just because of that. But it feels like he needs to be a Met forever, right?”
Since his arrival in 2019, Alonso has established himself as a franchise icon for the Mets. At this point, it would look, and feel strange to see Polar Pete suit up for another team. Nonetheless, his free agency could be very telling as to how he is perceived around the league, whether he lands back in Queens, or not.