After the New York Mets' slow collapse, and shortly after the Mets officially missed the playoffs, Pete Alonso announced that he was opting out of his deal, becoming a free agent. He joins a solid free agent class and will likely see plenty of interest from teams around the league.
He's one of the better power hitters in the Majors, and since he isn't eligible for the qualifying offer, no team will be on the hook for a draft pick if they sign him, further increasing the chances he signs this winter.
However, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com shared a very interesting prediction from an NL executive on Alonso's free agency. Despite some appeal, this executive gave Alonso a lackluster prediction for a new contract this offseason.
Pete Alonso receives a lackluster free agent contract prediction
"I think he'll beat the one-year, $24 million (that Alonso is opting out of), but I don't know if it's a slam dunk," one NL executive said. "Probably similar medium money on short-term offers, and he'll keep getting himself opt-outs. He obviously still brings the premium power, but I don't know if you can count on that average again, and it seems like his defense is going in the wrong direction."
Finding a player without flaws is impossible, but for Alonso, the inconsistent batting average, combined with his defensive regression, has this NL executive worried about a long-term deal.
Alonso might be viewed as more of a designated hitter going forward, especially if his defense continues to regress or stay well below average.
As this NL executive predicts, Alonso will beat his $24 million contract this offseason, but it might not be in such a big deal as what the Mets slugger is hoping for.
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He set a career high in batting average with a .272, and also had more hits (170) and doubles (41) than in any other season in his career. Alonso also had an .871 OPS on the year, the second-best mark of his career.
Strong offensive numbers should help Alonso in free agency, but this quote from an NL executive points out how, despite his strong offensive season, teams might be afraid of paying Alonso such a huge amount of money this offseason.
Opting out of his $24 million deal for 2026, Alonso is hoping to land a much stronger contract. However, this executive predicts that the longtime Mets slugger won't land a substantially larger contract.
This is a very interesting prediction, as the Mets slugger might not get the offers he was hoping for after opting out of his $24 million player option for 2026. There's still over a month to go before Alonso can get a new deal, but for now, there are some mixed signals about what his free agent outlook might be after a solid 2025 season.
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