PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Early Monday morning, ahead of the New York Mets’ first full-squad workout of spring training, Pete Alonso excitedly walked past Carlos Mendoza’s office, prompting the manager to tell him, “Man, that uni looks good on you.”
From Alonso’s perspective, despite a long free agency that stretched into February, he never got close to wearing a different one before agreeing to his two-year, $54 million contract earlier this month.
“For me, this was it,” Alonso said in his first news conference since the Mets’ playoff exit four months ago. “I mean, throughout the entire offseason, we had the best dialogue from the Mets. For us, this was the best opportunity. I’m just really happy to be back. This was it.”
At different parts of the offseason, the Mets’ leaders didn’t sound as sure about the outcome. In January at the Mets’ Amazin’ Day fan event, owner Steve Cohen referred to the negotiations with Alonso as “exhausting.” Around that time, The Athletic reported the Mets were strongly considering pivoting from Alonso, with a belief he may end up elsewhere.
“I didn’t know,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said last week. “At that point in time, I would’ve said there was a very real possibility that he was going to end up elsewhere. But ultimately, we’re thrilled that we were able to continue discussions and get a deal done.”
“For me, this was it.”
Pete Alonso was asked if he was ever close to going anywhere except the Mets in free agency: pic.twitter.com/uRvntsDsRs
— SNY (@SNYtv) February 17, 2025
In what ended up being a turning point for the negotiation process, Cohen and Stearns flew down to Tampa, Fla., where Alonso lives, to meet with the first baseman and agent Scott Boras. Alonso said meeting with the Mets’ two top baseball decision-makers “meant a lot.” Alonso described the meeting as more informational than a hashing-out conversation.
“It didn’t change any relationships at all,” Alonso said of his free-agent process. “This has been home and it is home. Everybody in this organization has believed in me since I was drafted. There’s a reason why I was drafted here and a reason why I’m still here. Ultimately, however negotiations go, you put all that aside.”
Despite projections pegging Alonso for something along the lines of a five-year deal north of $100 million, the 30-year-old said he wasn’t surprised by how things played out with him taking a short-term deal.
“No, for me, I didn’t have my best year last year,” Alonso said. “I definitely feel like I pushed the market forward a little bit. Making $30 million as a first baseman this year, it’s definitely an accomplishment, for sure, pushing the market forward for 30-year-old first basemen. For me, I think that’s a win. But also, I couldn’t expect something incredibly mega-long because I didn’t have my best year.”
While playing in all 162 games last season, Alonso hit 34 home runs with a .240 batting average. He drove in 88 runs, though he posted a career-worst .788 OPS. He did, however, match his 123 OPS+ from 2023.
Alonso can opt out after the 2025 season to become a free agent again.
Club officials described Alonso as a motivated player, careful to say he’s always motivated, but, perhaps, even more so this time around. When asked if he was extra-motivated, Alonso pointed to his desire to advance further in the playoffs, reach the World Series.
The Mets’ lineup, with Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Mark Vientos, Alonso and others, jumps out as the club’s strength. Mendoza announced Monday that starting pitcher Frankie Montas is dealing with a lat strain and will be shut down for six to eight weeks. Montas’ injury forces the Mets to tap into some depth early on for a rotation that features some questions about quality. The Mets’ lineup is supposed to do the heavy lifting. Alonso performing at a high level is a big part of the calculus.
Alonso holding a player opt out after this season means he will again need to deal with the pressures of performing with a looming contract situation. He wants to be better offensively and mentioned tightening up his swing mechanics. Defensively, he spotlighted some aggressive throws that backfired as something he needed to stop.
“There’s pressure every year,” Alonso said. “This is the big leagues. With being in New York and last year for us, we wanted to make the playoffs and obviously win a World Series. The contract situation, all that will take care of itself as long as you play well. For me, I feel pressure to perform for my best season every year because this is the highest level.”
Alonso’s contract is designed for him to opt out, given the discrepancies between the salaries of his first and second seasons ($30 million and $24 million) of the deal. Either way, he’d like to keep wearing the Mets uniform.
“That’d be fantastic,” Alonso said when asked about his appetite for a long-term arrangement with the Mets. “I’ve had a great first six seasons, and people have been so receptive. This has been home. That’d be fantastic. This is just such a great organization. There’s such great people here, not just coaches, players, but whether it be clubbies, support staff, analytics, it’s just a fantastic place. And, yeah, that could be really awesome.”
But that doesn’t mean he regrets rejecting a seven-year, $158 million extension in 2023, back when the Mets had a different front office and he had a different agent.
“I don’t really regret it because for me, every single step of the way of my career, whether it’s high school, college, minor leagues, even through my six years, you bet on yourself every single year,” Alonso said. “Whether you have a contract or not. You got to play. You got to play. And whether you are on a long guaranteed contract or not, not playing well isn’t fun. You want to play well, and you want to do a good job and help the team win however you can. And for me, that’s all I want to do. I just want to win.”
Even if it’s just one more year with the Mets, Alonso eyes a milestone. Alonso, who has spent his entire professional career with the Mets organization, ranks third for the franchise with 226 home runs, trailing David Wright (242) and Darryl Strawberry (252). As long as he stays healthy, Alonso should ascend the ladder; he has hit at least 34 home runs in all five of his full seasons.
“No, I haven’t given it any thought,” Alonso said with a deadpan, drawing laughs.
“Yeah, of course,” Alonso then said with a smile. “Of course I’ve given it thought. To be able to have that is special. Granted, if I stay healthy and go out and do it, if that were to happen … it’s something I’ve been thinking about.
“To be part of this franchise in that way, that would be really special. I can’t wait.”
(Top photo: Rich Storry / Getty Images)
