Inside The Mets

Pete Alonso shares how Mets sold him on returning to team

Pete Alonso shared how he and the Mets were able to agree on a new deal to keep the star slugging first baseman in Queens in 2025.

Logan VanDine

Feb 19, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) looks on from the field during a spring training workout at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Feb 19, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) looks on from the field during a spring training workout at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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Throughout the offseason, there was much uncertainty about whether the New York Mets would be able to re-sign slugging first baseman Pete Alonso.

However, during a secret meeting in Tampa Bay on February 5 between Alonso, his agents Scott Boras and Mike Fiore, owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns, the two sides agreed on a two-year, $54 million deal with an opt-out after the 2025 season. Alonso is now set to make $30 million this year, which is the most money ever for a first baseman in a single season.

With Alonso back in Flushing, Queens, for at least the 2025 season, the Polar Bear revealed some additional details from that meeting on Friday's episode of the Foul Territory podcast.

"It was just discussing the full vision over the next, not just this year but the next couple of years and I think having that vision, having that knowledge...the philosophies, the fabric of the organization and the consistency from top to bottom whether its staff, players, gameplay philosophies certain things like that," Alonso said.

"I just wanted to have like a mastery of understanding it all, to get on the same page as David and obviously Steve and I have had a relationship before but to get that in-depth conversation with David and just visions for the future, I think that was super important to me...I'm stoked to be back and I think we're gonna do great things."

Read More: Pete Alonso on Mets return: 'For me this was it'

Despite Alonso's first free agency cycle not going as planned, his latest comments made it clear that his destination of choice was nowhere other than the Mets.

Since making his big league debut in 2019, the 30-year-old has been one of the best power hitters in all of baseball. His 226 career home runs are the second most in major league baseball during this span (behind Aaron Judge) and he's also just 27 long balls away from surpassing Darryl Strawberry for the most home runs in franchise history.

The Mets are now hoping that Alonso's return to an already deep lineup can help them go on another deep playoff run in 2025. New York has a lot of familiar faces returning from a season where they were two wins shy of going to the World Series. Add Juan Soto to the mix and the Mets have one of the most prolific lineups in the game.

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Logan VanDine
LOGAN VANDINE

Logan VanDine is a contributing writer for On SI's Mets. Logan is a graduate of Rider University where he majored in Sports Media and minored in Sports Studies. During his time at Rider, Logan worked for Rider's radio station, 107.7 The Bronc as a sports host, producer and broadcaster, and for the school's paper: The Rider News. He began his time with The Rider News as a section writer for sports and was a copy editor for two years followed by being one of the sports editors during his senior year. Logan also placed third in the New Jersey Press Foundation Awards for sports feature writing. Aside from his work at On SI, he is also a writer for FanSided covering the New York Giants and Mets and also covers the Giants for Total Apex Sports. Give him a follow on X: @VandineLogan

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