Pete Alonso, the first baseman known for his signature power and zest for hitting home runs, has agreed to a two-year, $54 million contract to return to the New York Mets, league sources confirmed to The Athletic on Wednesday. The deal, which will pay Alonso $30 million in 2025, includes a player option for $24 million in the second year.
A four-time All-Star, Alonso, who will play his age-30 season in 2025, ranked as the best available player at his position. He entered this offseason as the No. 8 player on The Athletic’s Free Agent Big Board and was projected by The Athletic’s Tim Britton to receive a five-year, $130 million deal.
A long-term deal to Alonso’s liking never materialized, leading to a lengthy stay in free agency. After signing Juan Soto, the Mets refrained from signing anyone else to more than a three-year deal. By the end of December, it became clear that Alonso would have to set his sights on a shorter-term contract to stay with the Mets. By January, negotiations between the club and Alonso’s agent Scott Boras grew so laborious that Mets owner Steve Cohen called them “exhausting.”
Under Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns, the Mets showed financial restraint in dealing with Alonso, a fan favorite in New York. Alonso has the misfortune of playing in the wrong era for his skillset and role. Perhaps in a previous generation, negotiations would’ve gone differently. Generally, team executives these days harbor aging concerns with players like Alonso.
Power stands out as Alonso’s one major skill, and he supplies it at a rate that rivals almost anyone. Since debuting in 2019 and winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award that same year, only Aaron Judge (232 home runs) has hit more home runs than Alonso (226).
Alonso has spent his entire career with the Mets, the organization that drafted him in the second round in 2016, becoming one of the franchise’s most popular players. In the club’s all-time records, his home run total ranks third. When he was Rookie of the Year in 2019, Alonso led the major leagues with 53 home runs, a Mets single-season record. Alonso also holds the club’s single-season record for RBIs (131 in 2022).
Alonso’s biggest hit occurred in October. He hadn’t had an extra-base hit over his last 40 at-bats before stepping to the plate in the ninth inning of Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. With the Mets facing elimination, Alonso launched a go-ahead three-run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Mets then advanced to the National League Championship Series, the farthest into a season Alonso has ever played.
PETE ALONSO!!!!!!!!!!!!! #POSTSEASON pic.twitter.com/LzgpxTWUzN
— MLB (@MLB) October 4, 2024
Alonso’s postseason heroics coupled with a .999 OPS in October salvaged a sub-standard 2024 based on a high bar that he has set. Ahead of free agency, Alonso hit 34 home runs with 88 RBIs, a .240 batting average and a .788 OPS (123 OPS+). Those are solid numbers, but his home run total was his lowest over a full season, his OPS dipped well below his career mark (.854) and he struggled most of the season with runners on base.
Some scouts and executives wonder how valuable Alonso will be once his physical tools start to wane as he gets older. Generally, that tends to be the worry for all power-hitting first basemen, especially the right-handed batters. The scouts and executives also question what would happen if his chase rate climbed. Alonso doesn’t walk at an exceptionally high rate (usually around 10 percent of the time). It’s not as if he helps with stolen bases, either. And he is not a graceful athlete, scouts say, as a defender.
Though when it comes to Alonso, those who have coached or played with him say there’s no denying how much he cares to win and wants to improve. He puts in the work. And he plays every day; he didn’t miss a single game in 2024 after missing just 24 the previous five seasons combined. There’s value in availability, consistency and a desire to get better.
(Photo: Rob Tringali / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
