Late Wednesday night, homegrown first basemen ended his free agency by agreeing to a rather disappointing 2 year $54 million dollar deal. The deal includes an opt-out after year one and a 10 million dollar signing bonus.
Pete Alanso is Met’s fan hero. He is a pure home run hitter with horrific base running skills and subpar defense. Yes, he is not by any means a contact hitter but he is one of the best power hitters in the league. The two time home run derby champ is coming off the worst two years of his career where he still managed to mash 46 and 34 home runs.
Beyond the power, Alonso is seen as the guy who brought the Mets from a horrible team to the playoff contenders that they are today, and owner Steve Cohen knows this. In June of 2023 Alanso was offered a massive 7 year, $158 million dollar deal. Alonso promptly turned it down, fired his agent, and hired superstar agent Scott Boras.
Unfortunately for Alonso, this is where it all went down hill. His 2023 season would see him hit just .217 and in 2024 he had the worst season of his career all around the field. The Mets and Alanso never came to terms on an extension because Boras doesn’t believe in them.
Then came the offseason. Alonso went into the offseason looking for a deal that would be similar to the one that Freddie Freeman received going into the 2022 season (6yr, $162 million). The thing is, Alonso is just not that good. Freeman is one of the best contact hitters in the league, he’s got the power to hit 20-30 home runs, and he’s an average baserunner and defender. He is substantially better than a 30 year old Pete Alanso.
Still, Pete didn’t care. He waited as numerous teams went with other options holding out for his big deal that never came. Christian Walker, a fellow first baseman who is 33 years old and a slightly above average bat with solid defense received his 3 year, $60 million deal. And shockingly, it took Alonso a week before spring training to sign a deal worth less money.
Even when the Mets and Alanso came to terms on their new deal, it was clear that Alonso wasn’t happy. It came out days later that Alonso was, “Frustrated mostly that he wasn’t getting the kind of offer from the Mets he thought he deserved.” The thing is, he didn’t deserve it. The Mets knew it, fans knew it, and every front office in baseball knew it. The only person who didn’t know it was the man himself; Pete Alanso.
After Alanso showed his selfish desires this offseason, it’s no wonder why some Mets fans feel that he lost his title as a hero. Senior Mike Mahcolz explained that, “I like Alonso, but he shouldn’t have made it that difficult. Great deal for the Mets but he is way more selfish than I thought.”
All in all, it was a disaster of an offseason for the big first baseman. And the good news is, he gets to do it all over again in 2 years. Hopefully this time, he understands his market.
