Inside The Mets

Pete Alonso's Free Agency 'In a Tough Spot', per Mets' Rival Executive

Former New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso has several factors working against him in free agency.

Grant Young

Sep 21, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) walks to first after being hit by a pitch during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images
Sep 21, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) walks to first after being hit by a pitch during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images / Lucas Boland-Imagn Images
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There's no doubt that former New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso is going to become a rich man this offseason.

The question is how much Alonso is ultimately going to sign for, and which MLB team will give it to him.

Ever since Alonso turned down a seven-year, $158 million extension offer from the Mets in 2023, there was pressure for him to perform so that he could expect to earn even more money than that once he hit the open market.

Then Alonso had the worst season of his career in 2024. However, this isn't the reason why a National League executive said that Alonso "is in a tough spot" this offseason in a December 19 article from MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

“Pete is in a tough spot,” the executive said in Feinsand's article. “There doesn’t seem to be a big market for him because of his defense, and with so many first basemen out there, nobody is in a rush to overpay any of them.”

An American League executive echoed this sentiment by telling Feinsand, “He’s in his 30s and is a right-handed first baseman who is good – but probably had his best year already. He’s not a defender and not an athlete, but he has no issue with the spotlight; he hits homers and hits them in big spots. He’s a tough one.”

Some team will almost surely end up offering Alonso something that's at least close to what he's seeking this offseason. Whether the Mets will do so remains to be seen.

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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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