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Pete Alonso is experiencing a version of what every player dreams.<\/p>\n
For the first time since he committed to the University of Florida more than a decade ago, he actually has a say in where he will play baseball next season. He is a free agent and about to cash in on generations-changing money after establishing himself as a high-end slugger. He is, as Mets owner Steve Cohen put it Thursday, \u201centitled to go out, test his market and see what it is\u201d \u2014 find out who values him and how much.<\/p>\n
But here is the reality, for Alonso and for the Mets. They offer him something else no other club can: a chance at a one-team legacy and the opportunity to build on his perennial All-Star resume with the club whose fans long have loved him \u2014 plus all that that entails, from the would-be-inevitable franchise home run record to maybe someday having his No. 20 retired.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely from Pete\u2019s standpoint as well, there\u2019s a body of work that you\u2019ve already put into it. It\u2019s quite a good body of work,\u201d Brandon Nimmo, who made a similar calculation during his free agency two years ago, said in an interview near the end of the Mets\u2019 season. \u201cStarting over with another team is something that you definitely are OK with, and your goal at that point is to bring a World Series to whatever organization wants you. So you know that that\u2019s possible every single year.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut as far as the body of work for you as an individual, it definitely goes into the decision-making process. Could you end up being enshrined one day as one of the better players for that organization?\u201d<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s not be naive. Money matters most with these things. If the Mets don\u2019t want Alonso back, their contract offer will reflect as much, and he\u2019ll go elsewhere. That happens each offseason.<\/p>\n
But in a scenario in which a Mets deal is comparable to that from another club or clubs, secondary factors will be relevant. They were for Nimmo, at least until Cohen came in with an eight-year, $162 million proposal that ended negotiations quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is some extra value there,\u201d Nimmo said of continuing an established relationship. \u201cFor both sides.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because of the feelings involved, this is a different sort of decision for president of baseball operations David Stearns, who built a track record with the Brewers by prioritizing value and efficiency over all else \u2014 most infamously when he traded closer Josh Hader to the Padres in 2022, a bummer for the clubhouse that tanked Milwaukee\u2019s season.<\/p>\n
Giving a nine-figure deal to a 30-year-old first baseman is, from a pure on-field baseball standpoint, inherently risky. But this isn\u2019t a pure on-field baseball call.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all have emotion. I have emotion, Steve has emotion, we all have emotion,\u201d Stearns said. \u201cThat\u2019s one of the reasons we\u2019re drawn to this game. While making decisions, it is also my job to try to strip that away a little bit and try to implement processes and systems within our organization that allow us to make the best decisions possible both near and long term.\u201d<\/p>\n
Processes and systems are why Cohen hired Stearns. Contracts at this level, however, are approved by \u2014 and sometimes driven by \u2014 ownership. Cohen, who described the Mets as \u201cstill engaged\u201d with Alonso, will approve any deal the Mets put forth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope he stays as a Met,\u201d he said. \u201cHopefully we\u2019ll get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
In late September (before the Mets brought in Juan Soto as a new franchise and lineup pillar), Nimmo was of the mindset that the Mets and Alonso indeed will get there.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to look at this and see how the Mets and us, we don\u2019t end up with Pete at the end of this,\u201d Nimmo said. \u201cBut there\u2019s always these dark horses out there that are kind of keeping hush-hush and then come hard. So I\u2019m not putting that past anybody because Pete is a very desirable free agent. I think there\u2019s going to be quite a few teams that are going to be testing those waters and wanting to be in on him.<\/p>\n
\u201cSelfishly and from our team aspect, it\u2019s like, yeah, we would love to have Pete back. It\u2019s hard to envision him in another uniform .\u2002<\/span>.\u2002<\/span>. I know that he\u2019d like to come back. But I also know he\u2019s going to do what\u2019s best for him. It\u2019s all just part of the process.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It gives slugger the chance at a one-team legacy and the opportunity to build on his perennial All-Star resume with the club whose fans long have loved him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":18133,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n