Pete Alonso’s Unique Free Agency Could Lead Him Back To Queens
Pete Alonso ended his 2024 campaign with one of the more memorable playoff runs in franchise history, highlighted by his series-winning three-run homer against the Brewers in the ninth-inning of National League Wild Card Series Game Three in Milwaukee. His magic playoff run could have ended one of the more successful and prominent careers in Mets history.
Alonso ended his rookie contract at the end of the season and currently sits on the open market. The Mets and Alonso have both been outspoken about their appreciation for each other, but no deal has been reached between the two sides for the Mets’ third all-time home run hitter to return to Queens to abolish the team’s long ball record, likely become the first in team history with 300 homers, and push the 400 mark.
Alonso has become a cornerstone of the Mets franchise. Since his debut in 2019, the team has changed ownership, gone through multiple general managers, multiple owners, a plethora of supporting cast members for the slugger, and successfully navigated pandemic baseball. Plus, throughout all of that, Alonso was one of the few constants for the Mets. The concept of a New York Mets team without arguably their most popular position player since David Wright is a fuzzy one, but is a very possible reality at this moment.
As Alonso sits on the open market, Mets fans ponder what it might take for the Polar Bear to return to Queens and team up with Juan Soto. At the introductory press conference of Soto, Mets owner Steve Cohen asserted that the team is “still engaged” with the slugging Alonso, and president of baseball operations David Stearns proclaimed that “We’d love to bring Pete back”, and that “Pete’s been a great Met”. For what might exist for Alonso beyond the Mets, several questions still remain. ESPN baseball reporter Jeff Passan articulated on the Baseball Tonight Podcast that there might not be too much of a market for Alonso, which can complicate things for himself and his agent, Scott Boras. Alonso reportedly turned down a seven-year, $158 million extension with the Mets in 2023, signaling his desire to test the waters of free agency.