Mets add exclamation mark to off-season with Alonso signing
The New York Mets reportedly re-signed first baseman Pete Alonso on Wednesday night, ending a drawn-out free agency for the slugger that’s lasted months.
The New York Mets reportedly re-signed first baseman Pete Alonso on Wednesday night, ending a drawn-out free agency for the slugger that’s lasted months.
At times it felt like Alonso sticking with the only club he’s ever played for was inevitable. However, at other times, like when Mets owner Steve Cohen publicly denounced the negotiations with Alonso and agent Scott Boras, calling it “exhausting,” it seemed like he was done in Queens.
In the end, though, the fan-favourite is back with the Mets and now the focus can turn to baseball for the club. It enjoyed a remarkable off-season and is now poised to be a serious World Series contender in 2025.
Here’s a closer look at the Alonso deal and what it means.
The deal:
Pete Alonso agrees with the New York Mets on a two-year, $54-million contract that includes an opt out after the first season.
The runners up:
The Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants were among the teams circling Alonso. Both clubs will now have to look elsewhere for impact position players in a free agent market that’s dwindled as spring training approaches.
The player:
Alonso has forged a reputation as one of Major League Baseball’s premier power hitters. He’s launched 226 home runs since debuting in 2019, a number that’s only surpassed by Aaron Judge’s 232 bombs. He owns a career .854 OPS and 134 OPS-plus — numbers that made him attractive to organizations like the Blue Jays, who were looking to inject a serious dose of power into their lineup.
The first baseman features metrics that you’d typically want to see from a classic slugger. His bat speed registers in the 93rd percentile while his barrel rate is in the 89th. Alonso is also incredibly durable, ranking second to Marcus Semien in games played over the past six seasons.
Despite those glowing marks on his resume, the market did not value Alonso in the same way that he and Boras would have liked. That’s likely because of his age — he turned 30 in December — and his limited defensive value. Alonso is not especially athletic and ranked among the worst defenders at his position in 2024, producing a -6 Fielding Run Value, according to Baseball Savant. There’s potential that he would eventually need increasing time as a designated hitter and that might’ve scared off some clubs from inking Alonso to a long-term deal.
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The fit:
While it did take some time to get this deal done, Mets general manager David Stearns can now take a step back and marvel at his lineup. MVP candidate Francisco Lindor and Alonso will pair with the newly signed Juan Soto to form a lethal trio that will make life hard for opposing pitchers.
They combined for 108 home runs last year, not including the several dramatic, game-changing drives that each of those three authored during the post-season. Add in Mark Vientos — the upstart third baseman produced 27 home runs and 3.1 bWAR over just 111 games in his first full season — and the batting order looks even deeper.
There’s a phrase that’s been used to describe the cross-town New York Yankees in the past. When the club would sign a big free agent, people would say, “The Death Star is fully operational,” alluding to the Evil Empire in the Star Wars films. Well, today, it certainly looks like Cohen’s spending has the Mets poised to wrestle that reputation away from the Yankees and the power balance between the two New York clubs will be an interesting storyline to observe this year.
The market:
MLB Trade Rumors predicted a five-year, $125-million contract for Alonso. He and Boras fell well below that value and term but could seek to utilize the contract’s opt-out to take another stab at free agency next winter.
The next domino:
With Alonso off the board, free agent Alex Bregman remains the top impact player on the market. The Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and Blue Jays have all been linked to the third baseman.
