Inside The Mets

Insider Explains the 'Hangup' Between Mets and Pete Alonso

The New York Mets and Pete Alonso aren't seeing eye to eye in one aspect of contract negotiations.

Grant Young

May 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) reacts after striking out in the eighth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
May 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) reacts after striking out in the eighth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images
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In a December 26 article, Jon Heyman of the New York Post conveyed that the New York Mets and superstar slugger Pete Alonso weren't seeing eye to eye during contract negotiations.

"While we’ve said here the Mets and Pete Alonso need to figure it out, there is said to be a sizable gap in talks at the moment," Heyman wrote. "That doesn’t mean he’s gone, as the Mets have closed big gaps before (see Juan Soto below), only that no quick deal appears at hand."

It was initially unclear what aspects of Alonso's contract there was a "sizable gap" for, although the general sentiment was that it regarded how much money the 30-year-old was asking for and how much the Mets were willing to pay him.

However, Heyman shed further light on this topic during his live show with Bleacher Report on January 1.

"Are the Mets willing to give five years for Pete Alonso? I do think the years are the hangup right now on the Pete Alonso situation," Heyman said on the show, per an X post from Dan Bertels of the New York Post. "They're going to figure out the money in terms of dollars per year, but it is the years that we are talking about."

It's interesting to hear that however many years Alonso is seeking is causing the Mets to pause. But this makes sense, given that Alonso is now 30, and right-handed first basemen typically begin to decline as they get further into their thirties.

Heyman does sound optimistic that the two sides will strike a deal at some point.

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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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