Pete Alonso, the Mets, and What Could Have Been

[Andres Chavez]

Image courtesy of © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Mets and the Baltimore Orioles opened a new series at Citi Field on Monday. Pete Alonso, who was drafted, developed, and became a star in Queens, is in the first season of a five-year, $155 million contract he signed in the past offseason with the O’s.

On Tuesday, Alonso hit his 300th home run as a major leaguer, which is incredible considering he is just 31. A whopping 264 of them came while he was wearing a Mets uniform. Fans gave him a curtain call while they lamented what could have been.

By now, it’s quite clear that Mets’ president of baseball operations David Stearns was always wary of offering Alonso a lucrative long-term deal. In fact, they never even sent him a formal offer once the bidding entered a zone in which they weren’t comfortable.

The Mets’ highest offer to Alonso was a seven-year, $158 million extension back in June 2023, but Billy Eppler was the one in charge of baseball decisions back then, not Stearns. The evidence suggests that the former architect of the Milwaukee Brewers and current baseball head of the Mets wasn’t too keen on a long-term marriage with Alonso, and all that comes with it.

His stance has some logic, if we’re fair. Alonso is 31 and has no defensive or baserunning value. He isn’t particularly athletic, either. There have been warning signs about a decline, which is hardly unusual for a power-dependent hitter in their thirties.

Baseball, however, defies logic sometimes.

Pete Alonso's Return To New York Brings Mostly Regret

The ‘Polar Bear’ was a fan favorite in Queens, the franchise’s home run king, and a prolific power hitter with a really high offensive floor. He was the guy fans paid to watch him play. He brought people into the stadium, and his homers got fans out of their seats on countless occasions. He also had the clutch gene, producing his best when it mattered most.

Monday at Citi Field served as the perfect setting for the crowd to let their feelings be known. They gave Alonso a standing ovation, which he happily received and acknowledged, and turned against Stearns, calling for him to be fired.

It’s important to clarify that the Mets’ 2026 collapse can’t be completely chalked up to losing Alonso, as the team also failed with him on the roster in 2025. Plenty of other factors contributed to their demise this year, but that’s exactly where Stearns comes into play.

He was, after all, the one who constructed the roster, the one who decided to bring in too many people to play out of position, and the one who failed to properly replace Alonso’s lofty production. And that’s why fans turned against him; had he put the Mets in a position to compete and consistently win, perhaps fans would have understood his call to not bring back the beloved slugger.

Mets Left To Wonder What Could Have Been

The situation is complex and many things need to be considered in the analysis, but letting Alonso walk without even being among the finalists to sign him seems to be an inflection point for the franchise. With their financial power, the Mets could have had a consistent 35-40-homer, 100-RBI, 130-140-wRC+ guy who doesn’t miss a game.

Maybe the 2026 campaign would still have been a disaster with Alonso on the field as their starting first baseman. Or maybe not. It’s impossible to prove either way, but they would have had more of a chance, and they would have been much more entertaining.

Alonso would have offered much, much more than what New York’s first basemen have done this year: a .235/.290/.392 line with an 89 wRC+ that was next-to-last in the entire league through Monday. Alonso? He is slashing .267/.362/.499 with 36 dingers, 101 RBI, and a 142 wRC+ after Tuesday’s game.

In other words, fans still haven’t forgiven Stearns for not bringing back Alonso and rightfully so. The former’s tenure will be, in part, tied to the latter’s departure given the Mets' lack of success in the last two years.

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