New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso is heading back to Queens on a 2 year, $54M contract extension, pending the results of a physical.
The deal, which will feature an opt out after the first season, reunites Alonso with the only club he’s ever played for. It also marks the end of a prolonged negotiation period in which ownership, the front office, and Alonso’s camp traded barbs in the media along the way.
In the end, the 30 year old rejoins a star studded Mets roster, and will hope to have a strong season at the plate so that he can reset his market value and try free agency again in 2026. Alonso appears to have left money on the table to return to New York, as reports over the last few weeks indicate that his camp was presented with multiple offers in the 3 year range.
The Mets appeared to be moving towards a strategy that didn’t involve Alonso at one point, which appears to be what spurned the right handed hitter’s representatives to come back to the bargaining table. It’s worth noting that Alonso’s camp turned down a 7 year, $158M contract in the summer of 2023, which now puts added pressure on the 1st baseman to have a career year in 2025 if he hopes to garner that kind of term and dollar figure on the open market once again.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that the Mets offered Alonso a three-year deal worth $71 million, but he opted to take the shorter deal with the higher AAV (particularly in the first year).
After smashing 53 home runs as a rookie in 2019, the native of Tampa Bay, FL, would go on to hit at least 30 homers in each of his non-COVID shortened MLB campaigns. In 2024 he hit 34 homers with 88 RBIs, 91 runs scored, and a career high 31 doubles. His .240 batting average was also a marked improvement from his .217 average in 2023, but still below his career .249 mark.
A 4x All-Star, Alonso adds even more pop to the Mets lineup this season alongside teammates Francisco Lindor, Mark Vientos and Juan Soto. With the “Polar Bear” under contract for the upcoming season, New York saw their World Series odds jump to 3rd best in the Majors at most sports books, settling in at +850. They trail only the Dodgers (+300) and Yankees (+800) in that department now.
New York opens their spring training schedule on February 22nd against the Houston Astros.
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