Heading into the 2024 season, Pete Alonso had experienced plenty of what life as a MLB star is like over his five seasons with the Mets.
He won NL Rookie of the Year, took home two Home Run Derby titles, was named to the All-Star team three times, and played in the postseason. But one of things he hadn't done yet was become a free agent and have the power to choose his team.
After adding another All-Star nomination to his accolade list and helping New York make an unexpected run to the NLCS, Alonso became a free agent at the conclusion of the season. For a while it looked like the slugger was going to sign elsewhere, but as the markets changed, Alonso ended up re-signing with the Mets on Feb. 5 to return to the club for at least another season.
Now, with free agency experience under his belt, Alonso is prepared to do it all again this upcoming offseason. The 30-year-old inked a two-year, $54 million deal with a player option for the 2026 season — which he's expected to opt out of and become a free agent for a second time. So with another free agency period looming, Alonso was asked by reporters Monday during All-Star festivities in Atlanta if he hopes to stay with the Mets long-term.
"I mean if it works out, you know, it would be really special to," Alonso. "But again, there's a lot of things that happen business wise and a lot of unpredictable things that happen in free agency.
"Yeah, this time around, like last year there's no guarantee, but happy I stayed. This is a great team, it's a great group of guys. We'll see what happens business wise, nothing's guaranteed, so we'll see."
Many Mets fans will want to see the team keep the homegrown star for the rest of his career, especially as he's moved into second all-time in franchise history for home runs and will be at the top of that list by the end of the 2025 season. Alonso, now a five-time All-Star, is at 247 career home runs — just five shy of Darryl Strawberry's mark of 252 home runs in a Mets uniform.
Of course, Alonso could have already signed a long-term deal with New York to avoid this discussion, but instead he bet on himself with the short-term contract. The move appears to be paying off as he's already hit 21 homers and 26 doubles over 97 games during the 2025 season and is well on pace for another 30-30 season — which likely means a big payday in free agency. However, Alonso isn't thinking about his future like that just yet.
"I mean I gotta finish this year off strong, I gotta finish this year healthy," Alonso said. "Ultimately right now, I'm just thinking about what I can do to help my team every single day. The free agency stuff, I'm not really worried about that right now. I'm sure at the end of the year I'll have plenty of time to think of that."
If Alonso continues to play like he has this season, he'll be deserving of that big contract; it'll just come down to his and the Mets' success in the postseason and if the long-term commitment works for both sides at that point.
Pete Alonso says it would be "really special" to be a Met long-term
"I'm happy that I stayed – this is a great team, a great group of guys. We'll see what happens business-wise, nothing is guaranteed." pic.twitter.com/QWRRnE1yUF
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 14, 2025
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