Pete Alonso's Desired Contract Figures Revealed; Should Mets Re-Sign Him?

Pete Alonso's desired contract figures have reportedly been revealed. Should the Mets give him what he is looking for or let him walk in free agency?

Jun 1, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) hits a two run home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the ninth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Pete Alonso's desired contract figures have been revealed, and they greatly exceed the extension offer the New York Mets dangled in front of him during the 2023 regular season.

According to MLB insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports, Alonso is reportedly seeking a long-term contract in the neighborhood of at least $200 million in free agency.

Last month, Joel Sherman of The New York Post reported that Alonso turned down the Mets' extension offer of seven-years, $158 million a year ago. Alonso has since changed his representation to Boras Corporation, and the expectation is that he will be asking for more money ($42 million-plus) than what was initially offered by the Mets prior to last season's trade deadline.

Mets owner Steve Cohen can certainly dish out the dollars to retain Alonso if he chooses to do so this winter. The organization also has a significant amount of money coming off the books after the 2024 season, so they will be able to spend in comparison to the first three years with Cohen at the helm.

Alonso is not off to his usual strong start this season, as he is slashing just .240/.321/.476 with a .797 OPS, 14 home runs and 32 RBIs in 64 games. However, he has four home runs in his last 16 games, and a 1.019 OPS across the past week of play.

Since entering the league in 2019, Alonso has produced more homers and RBIs than any other player in Major League Baseball.

Alonso is currently the fourth highest paid first baseman in baseball ($20.5 million in final year of arbitration). If he wants to set the record of being the richest player at his position in terms of AAV, he will need to land a deal that pays him more than Bryce Harper's $27.5 million per year.

Should the Mets decide against paying Alonso, they could potentially pivot to other veteran first basemen such as Paul Goldschmidt, Christian Walker and Rhys Hoskins, who are all set to hit the open market after the season.