OPINION: Steve Cohen, New York Mets Should Give Pete Alonso Extension

The New York Mets have agreed to a four-year extension with National League batting champion Jeff McNeil. Now, they should give All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso a long-term contract, Jack Vita writes.

After giving a four-year extension to2022 National League batting champion Jeff McNeil, owner Steve Cohen and the New York Mets should shift their attention to locking up star first baseman Pete Alonso.

The Mets assembled a 101-win team in 2022, and hope to take step forwards in 2023, after a very active offseason in which they signed free agents Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga, Jose Quintana and David Robertson.

The Mets have spent extravagantly, and are projected to have baseball's highest payroll in 2023. Meanwhile, their division rivals, the Atlanta Braves, have taken a different financial approach.

The Braves, National League East champions for the last five years and counting, have not spent aggressively on the free agent market. Instead, they've built their team internally through their farm system, and used their financial resources to lock up their promising young players to very favorable long-term extensions.

The Mets are going to need to keep spending, in order to compete in the NL East. The Braves aren't going away any time soon, and the Philadelphia Phillies are coming off their first National League Pennant since 2009.

The Mets are slight favorites to win the National League East, according to odds from Fanduel. They are plus-135, just ahead of the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies. 

The next player the Mets need to pay is 2022 National League RBI leader Pete Alonso. Alonso drove in 131 runs last season, while smashing 40 home runs and posting a .271/.352/.869 slash line. Alonso finished eighth in National League MVP voting.

Alonso will make $14.5 million in 2023, before his final year of club control in 2024. Alonso should be in line for a big payday.

If the Mets are able to maintain their 28-year-old two-time All-Star first baseman, it will serve them very well moving into the future, as they hope to be a player in the National League for several years to come. Losing Alonso two years from now would be a huge loss. The Mets shouldn't take any chances, and should lock him up as they did McNeil, Edwin Diaz and Francisco Lindor.

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