Pete Alonso is still on the free agent market, despite pleas from Mets fans for the team to re-sign the first baseman. Now that the Mets have signed star outfielder Juan Soto, fans are hoping their next holiday gift will be the Polar Bear.
“I hope so,” said SNY analyst and former Mets first baseman Todd Zeile during the team’s annual kids holiday party earlier this month. “When Soto went off the board, you thought, ‘OK, that might start opening up some conversations with other free agents. As other guys are coming off the board, I think the best option is to have Pete back at first base. I think there’s certainly an objective to have that…
“Santa knows a few things, but I know the answer to that. We’ll have to wait and see.”
A market for Alonso has been slow to form, but to be fair, the position player market is still moving at a glacial pace. It’s a good year to be a free agent pitcher, but not a position player.
The Mets have been open about their desire to bring the popular homegrown first baseman back to Queens, and other teams expect he will return to the only team he’s ever known as well. The Mets want to gauge his market first, but it’s unclear what his market looks like and how other teams view him. A five-year contract in the realm of $120 million could be the target, but that’s just speculation.
There is a lot to like, but a lot to question as well.
Alonso handles the New York spotlight better than most. He’s gregarious, engaging, prides himself on being a part of the community and, of course, hits a lot of home runs, especially in big moments. He’s coming off two down seasons, but he still hit 46 homers in 2023 and 34 last season.
The Mets got their big bopper with Soto, but Alonso would provide protection and length in the lineup. He brings durability, having played 162 games last year at age 29, and leadership. People gravitate toward Alonso in the clubhouse. Teammates appreciate his amateur standup comedy acts on the team bus and his eclectic outfits as much as his timely home runs. Alonso even learned Spanish to be able to better communicate with Latin players in their native language.
Alonso shows up in the biggest moments, like when he hit a ninth-inning home run in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card series against the Milwaukee Brewers.
But his production has declined over the last two years. He hits and throws right-handed and while he’s a fine defender, he’s not exactly a Gold Glover. He can make some tough picks, but his minus-9 Out Above Average last season doesn’t paint the most sure-handed picture.
Two years of regression before age 30 certainly invites some skepticism. Alonso isn’t hitting the low slider like he used to.
The Mets could pivot away from him by signing third baseman Alex Bregman and moving Mark Vientos to third base, but there doesn’t appear to be much interest in that plan. It still makes the most sense for Alonso to return to the team that drafted and developed him, but with 10 other free agent first baseman and a few made available through trades, it’s a little crowded right now.
Maybe Santa Clause will deliver Alonso. Or, maybe fans will start asking St. Nick for someone else instead.
