Jun 23, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) wipes rain from his hair against the Philadelphia Phillies in the second inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies
(Queens, NY) – The New York Mets appear to be experiencing yet another lost season. There are some positives. The club was kind enough to send their fans the memo prior to the typical “June swoon” – they stink.
In fact, the irredeemable funk of bloated payrolls, heightened expectations, and a crushing lack of results permeates around Citi Field – and follows the team as it travels around the country.
One major uncertainty remains, however. What will the team do with Pete Alonso? At 29-years-old, the slugging first baseman is on the cusp of free agency. And, armed with Scott Boras as his agent, the “Polar Bear” is eyeing a big pay day. But should the Mets give it to him?
It’s a difficult question to answer for various reasons. One, Alonso is certainly one of the most accomplished power hitters in the team’s history. With 203 HR for his career, only Mike Piazza, David Wright, and Darryl Strawberry ever hit more while wearing a Mets uniform. And he’s a big time fan favorite, with many Mets supporters on social media routinely stating they will be “done” with the club if Alonso is traded, or ends up signing with a different team.
So – suffice it to say – it’s not easy to remove the emotion from the equation. Trading Alonso ahead of his free agency in exchange for prospects would indicate the New York Mets are officially undergoing a big time rebuild. But is it the right move?
On X, Brian Mangan, who uses the handle @GoodFundies, laid out the fact that Alonso’s production has fallen precipitously since his breakout rookie season – when it looked like he was on his way to becoming one of the stars of the game.
“Pete Alonso’s decline:
Age 24: .260/.358/.583, 144 wRC+
Age 25-27: 1561 PA, .261/.345/.514, 134 wRC+
Age 28-29: 867 PA, .221/.316/.491, 121 wRC+
.380 xwOBA in 2019, .365 career, .339 today.
He’s 29 years old. This might just be it.”
And it should be noted in addition to that breakdown how often slugging first baseman fall off even further in their 30s. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns and team owner Steve Cohen have a difficult reality they must confront: is fan service alone a worthwhile reason to sign Alonso to a contract?
Will he, recognizing his flaws, ink a deal for closer to $125 million overall as opposed to say $200 million? Is Scott Boras in any way chastened after completely blowing it for several high profile contracts last offseason? Or will he dig in his heels and wait until someone like the Boston Red Sox pony up $200 million+?
For now, the most immediate thing to watch is the Mets record. If the team somehow turns it around and gets back to .500 by the trade deadline, it’s highly unlikely they’d trade Alonso – even if the plan is not to re-sign him. But if the team continues to play the awful baseball.
