{"id":34053,"date":"2025-02-14T23:13:11","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T23:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053"},"modified":"2025-02-14T23:13:11","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T23:13:11","slug":"mets-david-stearns-pete-alonsos-return-is-last-major-move-of-offseason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053","title":{"rendered":"Mets’ David Stearns: Pete Alonso’s return is last major move of offseason"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"Mets'<\/p>\n

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. \u2014 Minutes after the Mets made official Pete Alonso\u2019s two-year, $54 million contract Wednesday, David Stearns confirmed that his work here is done.<\/p>\n

Well, for the offseason, anyway. Just in time for spring training.<\/p>\n

Following another spending spree \u2014 more than $1 billion committed to free agents \u2014 that pushed payroll to a level team owner Steve Cohen doesn\u2019t want to maintain annually, the Mets are more or less finished with noteworthy additions to the roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, we\u2019re always going to be involved in conversations,\u201d Stearns said early in a half-hour news conference, his first time taking questions from reporters in two months. \u201cWe also feel really good about the group we have that\u2019s reporting right now, and I would anticipate by and large this is the team we\u2019re going forward with.\u201d<\/p>\n

That differed from Stearns\u2019 approach at this time last year, when he left the semantical door open to another addition. The Mets wound up signing J.D. Martinez shortly before Opening Day.<\/p>\n

Not this time, though. That means \u2014 probably \u2014 no elite starting pitcher, no extra late-inning reliever, no Jose Iglesias.<\/p>\n

Iglesias remains a free agent, but the Mets are set in the infield, Stearns said. Although Iglesias was a sparkplug and culture-changer for the 2024 Mets, team officials like who they have internally for the backup spot. Nick Madrigal signed recently, joining Luisangel Acuna and others who can be freely optioned to the minor leagues, a variable the Mets value.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor that role on our team, it\u2019s important for us to keep some avenues open for some of our younger players,\u201d Stearns said. \u201cWe think it’s important for us to have some roster flexibility with that spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Altogether, the Mets\u2019 payroll for this season is at about $325 million, as calculated for luxury tax purposes, according to FanGraphs\u2019 estimate. That is the second-highest number in the majors (behind the Dodgers\u2019 $386 million) and well beyond the fourth and final tax threshold ($301 million).<\/p>\n

That gaudy total is on the high end of possible monetary outcomes discussed with Cohen at the start of the offseason, Stearns said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t think as an organization we want to remain consistently this high,\u201d he said. \u201cBut in this offseason, given the opportunities that were in front of us, we had tremendous ownership support to get there, and I’m very grateful for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alonso was worth the late exception. He will make $30 million in\u00a02025 and can opt out of the contract \u2014 and test free agency again \u2014 after the season. If he sticks around, he\u2019s guaranteed $24 million in 2026.<\/p>\n

Although position players don\u2019t officially report to camp until this weekend, Alonso popped into the Mets\u2019 Clover Park facility recently to take a physical and finalize his contract.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could see the genuine excitement that he had to be back in this building,\u201d Stearns said. \u201cWe\u2019re really happy we were able to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

A statement from Steve and Alex Cohen read in part: \u201cHe is a homegrown talent who is adored by our fanbase. It should be a fun summer at Citi Field watching Pete contribute to a great lineup and chase the franchise home run record.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alonso has hit 226 homers. Darryl Strawberry owns the Mets\u2019 all-time mark with 252.<\/p>\n

For much of the offseason, Alonso\u2019s return was no guarantee. At points, Stearns said, he thought \u201cthere was a very real possibility that he was going to end up elsewhere.\u201d Cohen described the talks as \u201cexhausting\u201d in late January, adding \u201cI don\u2019t like what\u2019s been presented to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cohen and Stearns met with Alonso and agent Scott Boras in Tampa (Alonso\u2019s hometown) last week, helping the sides find common ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just wanted to ensure that he knew we wanted him back,\u201d Stearns said. \u201cI think he wanted to express the same to us. I think he wanted to express his desire to come back, and it was important, I think, for both sides to hear that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are long negotiations. There\u2019s a lot of back and forth. And if you\u2019re going to make a deal, I think it\u2019s important for both sides to really hear and feel that both sides are very invested in the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of \u201cHometown Hardball,\u201d a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

That means \u2014 most likely\u00a0\u2014 no elite starting pitcher, no extra late-inning reliever, no Jose Iglesias.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":34054,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nMets' David Stearns: Pete Alonso's return is last major move of offseason - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mets' David Stearns: Pete Alonso's return is last major move of offseason - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"That means \u2014 most likely\u00a0\u2014 no elite starting pitcher, no extra late-inning reliever, no Jose Iglesias.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-14T23:13:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-63.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MsNga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MsNga\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053\",\"name\":\"Mets' David Stearns: Pete Alonso's return is last major move of offseason - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-63.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-14T23:13:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-14T23:13:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7d8919f80fe19b5d17fd5541862a7b37\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-63.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-63.jpg\",\"width\":1300,\"height\":1600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Mets’ David Stearns: Pete Alonso’s return is last major move of offseason\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7d8919f80fe19b5d17fd5541862a7b37\",\"name\":\"MsNga\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ddc5cc36b52e56e3c9aa09d60c7293d0b8a7d5eb4bfe93f637ffa8cb25ea8ac7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ddc5cc36b52e56e3c9aa09d60c7293d0b8a7d5eb4bfe93f637ffa8cb25ea8ac7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MsNga\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=5\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mets' David Stearns: Pete Alonso's return is last major move of offseason - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mets' David Stearns: Pete Alonso's return is last major move of offseason - NEWS USA","og_description":"That means \u2014 most likely\u00a0\u2014 no elite starting pitcher, no extra late-inning reliever, no Jose Iglesias.","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2025-02-14T23:13:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1300,"height":1600,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-63.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MsNga","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MsNga","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053","name":"Mets' David Stearns: Pete Alonso's return is last major move of offseason - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-63.jpg","datePublished":"2025-02-14T23:13:11+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-14T23:13:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7d8919f80fe19b5d17fd5541862a7b37"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-63.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/PICTURE-1300-x-1500-px-63.jpg","width":1300,"height":1600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=34053#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Mets’ David Stearns: Pete Alonso’s return is last major move of offseason"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7d8919f80fe19b5d17fd5541862a7b37","name":"MsNga","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ddc5cc36b52e56e3c9aa09d60c7293d0b8a7d5eb4bfe93f637ffa8cb25ea8ac7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ddc5cc36b52e56e3c9aa09d60c7293d0b8a7d5eb4bfe93f637ffa8cb25ea8ac7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MsNga"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=5"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34053"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34053\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34055,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34053\/revisions\/34055"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}