The shockwaves from the Pete Alonso signing with the Baltimore Orioles hit Queens hard on Wednesday, but they may have landed even heavier in the broadcast booth. Two of the most recognizable voices in Mets history — Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling — didn’t hide their reactions as the news broke.
Hernandez, usually measured, admitted the moment left him rattled.
"I'm a little bit speechless," he said on SNY. "This is very explosive. In the years that I've been with the Mets, I have not seen this kind of moving in a new direction, I guess. It is profound."
Darling, his longtime partner and fellow member of the 1986 championship team, was live on MLB Network when the deal became public. His response came quickly: “I’m flabbergasted.”
The reactions are interesting because most pundits knew there was a good chance that Alonso would not be back in 2026. The Mets had added him back on a last-minute contract after the 2024 season. They had been lukewarm in their comments about him this winter.
But he was homegrown and coming off a remarkable year.
Alonso leaves after one of the most well-rounded seasons of his career. In 2025, he hit.272 with 38 home runs, 126 RBIs and an.871 OPS while playing all 162 games — a reminder of the durability that has defined his Mets tenure. He cut his strikeouts, lifted his on-base percentage, and delivered in big moments for a lineup that often leaned on him to carry the power load. At 31, Alonso looked every bit like a middle-of-the-order force, which only sharpens the impact of seeing him finish that kind of season in another uniform.
It came on the heels of Edwin Diaz signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers and a trade that sent another homegrown Met, Brandon Nimmo, to Texas.
Even former shortstop Jose Reyes joined in, posting a sad emoji on social media. No words, just the kind of reaction Mets fans across the city were already feeling.
For the players who defined the last Mets championship, and for a fan base that’s seen too many departures, this one hit differently.
