New York Mets Players to Lobby for Team to Keep Pete Alonso

At least a handful of players intend to lobby for the New York Mets to keep Pete Alonso

They don't want to see him go anywhere.

According to Deesha Thosar of FOX Sports, at least a handful of New York Mets players plan to lobby to the organization to retain first baseman Pete Alonso.

"Players reiterated that Alonso is a hard worker and fun-loving, terrific at what he does, handles playing in New York with aplomb, a glue guy of the clubhouse and a special member of the team's core — and he might end up in the Hall of Fame," Thosar wrote. "Those points would be made to (Steve) Cohen directly, players said." 

Alonso, of course, has one more year left on his contract and has been involved in recent trade rumors.

The Milwaukee Brewers tried trading for Alonso at the trade deadline. And the Mets will likely listen to offers in the offseason.

However, Alonso has been a cornerstone franchise player for the Mets since breaking into the league in 2019. And since coming into the league, no player has more home runs or RBIs than Alonso.

It will likely come down to money for Alonso, who could be seeking $28 million per year to make him the highest paid first baseman in baseball.

Sal Licata of WFAN recently made a false claim that the Mets' clubhouse is toxic and Alonso is part of the problem. This was later disputed by several Mets players and coaches, who insist they love Alonso.

"That's ridiculous," bench coach Eric Chavez said. "Whoever said that is dumb. It's just B.S."

"I think that anything and everything can be written. It's the age of social media," Alonso said of the accusation. "For me, the only thing that really matters to me is the respect from my peers, which are the people who I work with every day. And that includes not just players and coaches, but also [media members] who are in here [the clubhouse].

"The person who said that, I've never seen him," Alonso continued. "I don't even know him. I don't really put any merit into it because it's someone I don't know. If you want to say whatever about my play, that's fine. But for me, I just want to be the best player and best person I can be every single day. I just want the respect of my peers that I see and work with every day." 

The Mets traded aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, among others at the trade deadline to retool their farm system. Cohen and GM Billy Eppler also made it clear to Scherzer and Verlander that they're looking towards 2025 and 2026 as their next window to contend.

All that being said, the Mets would be foolish to let go of Alonso. They must strike a deal with him this offseason to keep him a Met for life. He's also still just 28-years-old and in his prime.

And as previously mentioned, if they don't reach a deal with him, It'll be about money and not because he's toxic, which was a false claim.