Insider Says Mets Were Never Out on Pete Alonso

One MLB insider got honest about last month's reports that the New York Mets were pivoting away from pursuing Pete Alonso.

Oct 8, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) runs after hitting a solo home run in the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during game three of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

With each passing day, it seems that some MLB insider is speculating on whether Pete Alonso will return to the New York Mets after testing the free agency waters this offseason.

Recent sentiment in this regard stemmed from USA Today's MLB insider Bob Nightengale, who wrote in a January 31 article, "All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso, who badly wants to return to the New York Mets while the club insist they want him back too, must decide whether he’s going to swallow his pride and take the Mets’ three-year offer for about $70 million."

According to @BNightengale, Pete Alonso has made it clear he “badly wants to return to the New York Mets.”

Bob also noted the Blue Jays have been his only other serious suitor, “and if Alonso really wanted to sign there, or anywhere else on a short-term deal, it likely would… pic.twitter.com/l0Tk4K6oFE

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) January 31, 2025

Nightengale's words on there being mutual interest in a reunion between Alonso and the Mets has more or less been the consensus all offseason. That is, aside from a period in mid-January when several insiders asserted the Mets pivoted away from pursuing Alonso after the two sides were unable to reach a deal amid another round of negotiations.

It has since become clear that, despite these reports, the two sides are back to speaking on terms.

And in a February 3 article, SNY's MLB insider Andy Martino discussed where last month's reports about the Mets pivoting went awry.

"On Jan. 16, I was one of several reporters who heard and relayed that the Mets expected Pete Alonso to sign elsewhere.

"According to league sources, the organization reached that conclusion because Alonso turned down their offer of a three-year contract that contained opt-outs and included deferred money that would have elevated the total to well over $70 million. If he said no to that, the Mets thought, he must have a better deal elsewhere," Martino wrote.

"But now it is February, and Alonso is still a free agent. The Mets’ most recent signings left some room in their expanding budget for another addition. Clearly, the team’s pivot was not a slammed door — or, as owner Steve Cohen said on Jan. 25, they will 'never say no.'"

Martino later said, "Stearns and Cohen would love to get the Mets under the so-called 'Cohen tax' threshold one of these years, and stop paying a 110 percent penalty on every dollar. Adding Alonso will make that more difficult, especially if he signs up for an opt-out after this season, and then declines to exercise it."

"But Stearns and his baseball operations department have always preferred to have Alonso on their 2025 roster," he wrote.

"Yes, they made a financial pivot starting on Jan. 16. And yes, these negotiations have been 'exhausting,' as Cohen put it.

"But it’s hard to see anything that would prevent a warm reunion. If the Mets are willing to stretch their budget (their call), and Alonso is willing to return for much less than what he turned down in 2023 (his call, but the above timeline suggests that he is), why not do it?" Martino added.

With Pete Alonso’s market now seemingly defined, why not come home to the Mets ?

To contextualize where this stands, here is a full timeline of a wild negotiation (and a door that never slammed shut):https://t.co/vqTj7ocb5D

— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) February 3, 2025

In other words, the Mets' "pivot" wasn't necessarily away from Alonso. And the bottom line is that the Polar Bear still seems exceedingly likely to return to Queens.

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