David Stearns Shares Mets' Approach to Pete Alonso’s Free Agency

Mets' president of baseball operations David Stearns made his intentions very clear ahead of Pete Alonso's free agency.

Jul 30, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns speaks to the media about the MLB trade deadline before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Mets are about to face an important offseason with several notable pending free agents, including three members of their starting rotation. 

However, the most critical internal decision centers around four-time All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso, the franchise cornerstone who experienced a relatively down regular season before shining in New York's remarkable postseason run.

Speaking at Citi Field on Wednesday, president of baseball operations David Stearns addressed various offseason topics, including Alonso's future. While the Mets would love to retain him in Queens, Stearns indicated that they plan to allow Alonso to test the market and negotiate with other teams this winter.

"He's a great Met," Stearns said. "I hope we have him back. I think we both understand this is a process, and everyone's got their own interest. And Pete deserves to go out into the free-agent market and see what's out there, and then ultimately make the best choice for him and his family."

"He's a great Met, I hope we have him back"

David Stearns on Pete Alonso's upcoming free agency: pic.twitter.com/WXQwImXA1f

— SNY (@SNYtv) October 23, 2024

Set to enter his age-30 season in 2025, Alonso is just 27 home runs shy of becoming the Mets' all-time leader. His pivotal three-run shot in the ninth inning of Wild Card Series Game 3 reignited the Mets' postseason run, propelling them into the NL Division Series and eventually the NL Championship Series. He carried that momentum throughout the postseason, hitting three more homers and reaching base multiple times in each of his final three games.

Despite his October success, Alonso's regular season performance will likely influence free-agent negotiations with agent Scott Boras. His OPS has declined in recent seasons—from .869 in 2022 to .821 in 2023 to a career-low .788 in 2024—raising questions about how many prime years the slugger has left. Although his 34 home runs in 2024 were the fewest he had hit in a full season (barring the COVID-shortened 2020 season, in which he hit 16 homers in 57 games), it remains a figure any team would welcome at the right price.

Stearns, who spoke to Alonso briefly at the ballpark before his media session, told the slugger he was about to answer several questions about him, to which Alonso replied, "Good luck." Despite sharing plenty of talks together throughout the season, Stearns acknowledged that they have avoided direct conversations regarding Alonso's future.

"Pete and I frankly have never really talked about his contract face-to-face. I think those conversations are best left generally with a player’s representative," Stearns said. "But Pete and I talked about the team plenty. He’s very invested in our group, certainly was very invested in this team this year, and obviously got some enormous hits for us down the stretch."

David Stearns says he has never spoken with Pete Alonso about his contract situation face-to-face

Stearns on Alonso's dedication to the Mets: "He's very invested in our group" pic.twitter.com/IPGYpAvTBC

— SNY (@SNYtv) October 23, 2024

Following the conclusion of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and cross-town rival New York Yankees, a five-day window will open during which only the Mets can negotiate with Alonso. Once that quiet period ends, his representatives can begin reaching out to other interested teams.

Alonso is expected to receive and decline a one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer from the Mets, allowing the team to secure draft pick compensation should he ultimately sign elsewhere.