Since taking over as Mets‘president of baseball operations, David Stearns was candid about the team’s position regarding Pedro Alonso.
In short…
The Mets are “invested” in keeping Alonsoand they understand the value he brings as a local Met and proven New York star.
At the same time, serious negotiations over an extension never accelerated. And Stearns said in spring training that the first baseman would likely head to free agency after the season.
“That’s probably the most likely outcome,” Stearns told reporters. “Look, when you have a really talented player, who is really good, who is entering his last year in charge of the club, who happens to be represented by Scott BorasThese things usually end in free agency and we understand that.”
Now, as the outside buzz continues to grow about the possibility of the Mets trading Alonso — which doesn’t make sense right now and won’t make sense near the deadline if the team is in contention — the main focus is on what happens after the season.
To that end, Alonso and Boras recently spoke with Ken Rosenthal from Atlético about what the future could hold.
After a relatively quiet 2023-24 offseason — especially compared to what the Mets had in their first few years as owners Steve CohenManagement – The club is expected to be heavily involved when it comes to the biggest names on the market this offseason.
These names include Juan Soto It is Corbin Burnesboth Boras customers.
And when Rosenthal asked Alonso if one or both of the players who ended up in Queens could impact his future there, Alonso was unfazed.
“I’m not thinking about that right now,” he told The Athletic. “I love the city I play in. I consider myself a New Yorker. I have a great relationship with the guys on the team, obviously. And I think I have a great relationship with the people on the front office and with Steve as well.
“We’ll see what happens this winter. It’s a big question mark. For me, right now, I’m just focusing on doing what I can to help us win every day.”
Alonso also said he felt Boras did a “great job” last offseason, despite many believing Boras overreacted when it came to a group of his biggest clients, with Blake Snell, Jordan MontgomeryIt is Cody Bellinger all agreeing to much lower agreements than initially expected. After signing a one-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks that contains an opt-out, Montgomery traded Boras to a new agency in April.
“The guys did what was best for their families or what they thought was best,” Alonso said. “Who am I to judge?”
With Alonso’s free agency approaching, Boras has been talking for months about why he doesn’t feel the contracts recently given to Freddie Freeman It is Paulo Goldschmidt are “relevant” to Alonso’s situation.
And he echoed those thoughts in a recent appearance on ‘The Show’ podcast with Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman.
“The game’s revenue system has changed drastically in recent years,” Boras said. “I don’t think (Freeman and Goldschmidt’s) contracts are really relevant to anything that has to do with what’s going to happen in the future, especially with Pete Alonso.”
Alonso also weighed in on the fact that first basemen have been paid less recently than in the past.
“We’ll see where we are at the end of the year,” Alonso told The Athletic. “Having a good year can definitely help with that. We’ll see. We don’t know. That’s the mystery. I hope so (reverse). Again, I have to play. I have to perform. I have to help the team win.”
While Boras has spent a lot of time debunking the notion that the Freeman-Goldschmidt deals should be a barometer for what Alonso will be paid, it’s hard to imagine interested teams agreeing to him.
Freeman, who has an MVP and a Gold Glove to his name and is a career .301/.389/.513 hitter, signed his six-year, $162 million extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022 – ahead of his 32 years. season.
Alonso, who has more power potential than Freeman but isn’t the versatile hitter he is, will enter his age-30 season in 2025.
It remains to be seen whether this season (and beyond) will be played with the Mets or elsewhere.
