He Gone

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Peter Morgan Alonso is no longer a New York Met. The Mets franchise leader in home runs agreed to a five-year, $155 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles yesterday. It’s the highest AAV for a first baseman ever. The Mets didn’t even bother making a formal offer to the Polar Bear - they were never going to go past three years. 

There’s the personal, emotional response and then the clinical one. We’ll start with the personal. Like most of you, I grew attached to the guy. The 2016 2nd round pick by the Mets was getting a lot of attention when he was a Double-A Binghamton Rumble Pony two years later, when the big league club really could have used his bat. Alonso, who at the time still went by “Peter Alonso”, agreed to a podcast interview with me and my pod partner at the time. I’ll never forget that kindness. 

On the podcast Alonso sounded very confident in his skills (“I wouldn’t want to pitch to me”) without coming off as arrogant, which says a lot about his personality. It really felt like he was just stating a fact. And it turned out he was right - some pitchers really did fear him. 

In 2019, he hit 53 home runs in his rookie year in the big leagues, an MLB record. In no time he was the new face of the franchise - David Wright had just retired the year before. As I wrote a few months ago in The Met Files about Pete, it was as if the face of the Mets got a total makeover. Instead of a milquetoast, physically impaired martyr, there was a country strong, large adult son in his place. Alonso was fun to watch and easy to root for. It was as if he succeeded because he didn’t know any better, bringing an ebullience to a club under the Wilpons and Saul Katz’s thumbs. The team even competed for a wild card spot in the second half of the season for a while. 

Alonso consistently slugged home runs through the years, albeit never as much as 53 again in a year. He was a pillar in the Mets lineup. He would resort to baseball cliches in postgame interviews a little too often for my taste, but he never grew cynical In 2024, his walk year, he hit a home run that helped the Mets win their first game of the season after starting 0-5, but then overall had a fairly meh year at the dish. Fans were divided over whether or not the Mets should re-sign Alonso. Until a Thursday night in Milwaukee. Against Devin Williams, who ironically is now a Met, Pete Alonso hit a game-winning three-run home run to send the Mets to the divisional series round of the playoffs. It was a storybook moment in a storybook season. 

Still, POBO David Stearns waited, and waited, and waited some more during the offseason before Steve Cohen ultimately stepped in to sign Pete to a new contract. Alonso had some unfinished business in Queens. The Mets had just been two wins away from a World Series appearance, and he was oh so close to Darryl Strawberry’s franchise dinger record. 

Alonso had a stellar 2025, especially in the first few months of the season. Unfortunately, his defense seemingly slipped precipitously over at first base. He can scoop like nobody’s business, but the throws to first were really hard to watch, and harder to catch. The Mets failed to make the playoffs. David Stearns after the season said the front office was going to work on the team’s “run prevention.” That spelled the end of Pete Alonso in New York. 

And now he’s gone. 

Personally, I’m sad. A little angry, perhaps. I almost think David Stearns, who supposedly grew up a Mets fan, is overcompensating by being a cold-blooded killer to the roster. I almost think Steve Cohen cares about his damn casino more than the Mets at this point. 

Removing emotion from it? I’m just confused. Pete Alonso’s agent Scott Boras indicated that his client would be open to DHing. What does that have to do with run prevention? And Juan Soto doesn’t like DHing - he’ll do it eventually, but within five years? I don’t think so. Kyle Schwarber is two years older than Pete, already is strictly a designated hitter, and got five years. Do you think the Phillies are regretting bringing him back? Hell no. And where are you going to find a right-handed power threat to back up Soto now?

In the same breath, I acknowledge that change was necessary, and the offseason is far from over. Stearns’ grade isn’t an F, it’s an incomplete (please see me). I joked on social media the Mets have “concepts of a plan”, but they really do have a plan. It’s become clear though that the plan didn’t involve Pete Alonso. 

Goodbye, Polar Bear. “Layla” will never sound the same. 

Stearns did not talk to the press yesterday. Steve Cohen responded to a Jon Heyman text by saying, ““I totally understand the fans’ reaction. There is lots of offseason left to put a playoff team on the field.” Fans on social media pointed out that the goal should be a championship team, not just a playoff squad.

Four of the five longest tenured Met players going into the offseason are now gone (Brandon Nimmo, Alonso, Edwin Díaz, Drew Smith). And the fifth, Jeff McNeil, is very much on the trading block.

Former Met beat writer Tim Healey tweeted that a first base option the Mets have “floated internally” was a platoon of McNeil and free agent Paul Goldschmidt. No thank you.

Fortunately, the Mets are looking at other options. One is apparently Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras. The Mets have discussed Contreras -  as well as outfielder Lars Nootbaar -  with St. Louis. Contreras is 33 but right-handed and good with the glove - he ranked in the top 4 in OAA last season (so, 4th). His contract expires after the 2027 season with a team option for 2028. 

The Mets are one of many teams interested in Rockies All-Star center fielder Brenton Doyle.

Jon Heyman reported that the Mets were one of a handful of teams looking at Kyle Tucker, but Ken Rosenthal later said the Mets weren’t in on him. (Rosenthal said on Tuesday the Mets “weren’t heavy” on anybody.) Reading the tea leaves, I believe the Mets are interested in Tucker, but only if his price drops precipitously. Why? Beats the hell out of me. 

The Mets are showing interest in bringing back RHP Tyler Rogers, but they’re not alone in desiring his sidearming services.

The Mets didn’t select nor did they lose a player in the major league portion of the Rule 5 Draft. They did however pick RHP Justin Armbruester (from the Orioles farm system), LHP Aaron Rozek (Twins), and LHP Matt Turner (Yankees) in the Triple-A portion, while losing RHP T.J. Shook (to the Rockies), RHP Trey McLoughlin (Astros), and RHP Dylan Tebrake (Nationals). 

The Mets’ minor league deal with RHP Carl Edwards Jr. is now official, and apparently the Mets intend to stretch him out into a starter. Don’t worry - he’ll at least start in Triple-A most likely.

MLB is holding several auctions for charity. You can play catch with Francisco Lindor for around $4,000, or hang out in the owners suite at Citi Field for over $5K. 

Happy 26th birthday to the new first baseman(?) Mark Vientos!