Pete Alonso back to the Mets on 2-year, opt out deal
After grueling negotiations it seems as though we'll get at least one more year of Pete Alonso in Queens. Breaking on the evening of February 5th, it was announced that Pete had agreed to a two-year deal for $54 million with a $10 million signing bonus and an opt out after the first year.
Pete Alonso's deal with the New York Mets, which is pending physical, is for two years and includes an opt-out after the first season. He'll make $30 million this year.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 6, 2025
While it wasn't the contract he envisioned when he hired Scott Boras, he'll get another year to prove that his 2024, 36-home run season was a fluke.
About a week ago, I wrote about Alonso, and his cards, and what to do about them while he's unsigned and where they might go depending on his destination.
Pete Alonso: What about his cards
But now that he's signed what does this do for his cards? Well it can't hurt, but to be honest, it doesn't move the needle up much either at this point in time. But he might be a good buy.
He's now cemented in a lineup with both Francisco Lindor and newly-signed Juan Soto. While Lindor and Soto are power hitters in their own right, they also can hit for average. So assuming Alonso can get back to his 40 home run potential, there's sure to be more runners on base for him. And if Moneyball taught us anything, the object of the game is to not buy wins, but to buy runs.
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What is also not talked about heavily is the emergence of Mark Vientos. Vientos had somewhat of a quiet breakout year. In a season that saw him get significant, meaningful playing time, he hit 27 home runs and 71 RBI in just 111 games. He also had an OPS of .837. All of this points to less pressure on Alonso to be one of the primary run generators, and he can just do Pete things and let everything fall into place without pressing too much.
For buying purposes, you can't go wrong with a rookie with ink on it. His 2019 PSA 10 Topps Chrome Blue Wave Rookie autograph is a nice piece, what with the color match and all.
This is a beautiful card, and according to Card Ladder, was last sold for $400. While that is a good price for someone who hit just 36 home runs while batting just .240, that same card in September 2023, according to Card Ladder, had a recorded sale of $700. And that was a year in which he hit just .217. The difference? He hit 46 home runs...proof that as long as you're hitting it out of the park, no one cares about batting average.
If you're looking for a more modest buy, his 2016 PSA 10 Bowman Draft 1st Chrome Refractor is around $50. That same card, less than a year ago in March 2024, went for around $100. It's not hard to imagine this card going up from $50 if Pete comes out of the gate hot in April
So Polar Bear will be bashing the ball at Citi Field for at least one more season. Here's to hoping he can regain his 40-50 home run potential, because collectors and fans alike can agree, baseball is better when Pete is mashing the ball to the upper deck.
After graduating from the University of North Dakota in 2008, Cole worked as an advertising copywriter until shifting to print journalism a few years later. Managing three weekly newspapers in the Dakotas, Cole won numerous awards from the North Dakota Newspaper Association including Best of the Dakotas and, their top award, General Excellence. He returned to collecting in 2021 and has since combined his passion for writing with his love of cards. Cole also writes for the Sports Cards Nonsense newsletter and has made guest appearances on multiple sports card collecting podcasts including Sports Cards Nonsense, and the Eephus Baseball Cards Podcast. IG: coleryan411 X: @colebenz