Inside The Mets

Here's Why Pete Alonso is Among the Riskiest Free Agency Options

Signing Pete Alonso this offseason could be more of a gamble than many fans might imagine.

Grant Young

Oct 16, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first base Pete Alonso (20) reacts after striking out against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning during game three of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Oct 16, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first base Pete Alonso (20) reacts after striking out against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning during game three of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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Pete Alonso's six seasons spent with the New York Mets have proven to the baseball world how big of an asset he can be to any MLB team's lineup.

The Polar Bear's 226 home runs since debuting with the Mets in 2019 is the second-most in MLB, only falling six bombs short of Aaron Judge.

That sort of power rarely becomes available in free agency and conveys why Alonso is sure to make a lot of money this winter.

But it's not all positive when it comes to Alonso's free agency outlook. And in a November 25 article, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer conveyed why whichever team signs him this offseason will be taking on a good deal of risk.

"How big of a deal is it that Alonso is coming off his worst season?" Rymer wrote.

"It was his worst according to his .788 OPS, anyway, and there are real issues underneath that number. A career-high rate of ground balls is one. He also didn't pull as many fly balls as he usually does.

"More generally, the aging curve for right-handed-hitting, right-handed-throwing first basemen is rough. Even Albert Pujols didn't last long as a star after turning 30, and Alonso will arrive at that point on December 7," he added.

Perhaps Alonso will prove that he's an outlier among aging first basemen in the coming years. Either way, he has become a fan favorite in Queens over the past few seasons and will most likely be remembered fondly by Mets fans regardless of where he's playing in 2025.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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