Why it Might Be Difficult For Pete Alonso to Choose to Stay With Mets

Here’s why one MLB insider believes it could be difficult for Pete Alonso to return to the New York Mets’ clubhouse this season.

Oct 18, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first base Pete Alonso (20) celebrates defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers during game five of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

With each passing day, the gap between Pete Alonso and the New York Mets grows wider. The slugging first baseman remains unsigned, and although the Mets have a need for him, the two sides remain divided on the terms of a new contract.

On Tuesday’s edition of Mets Hot Stove, Newsday Sports columnist David Lennon suggested it might not be as easy as people think for Alonso and the Mets to mend fences.

“I think the point is, where does he (Alonso) get to the point where he says, ‘Do I want to come back to a team that is clearly indifferent to whether I come back or not?’”

On Mets Hot Stove, @JimDuquetteGM gives a front office perspective on Pete Alonso's standing in the Mets clubhouse if he returns, while @martinonyc & @DPLennon discuss https://t.co/7Syo4NvM2n pic.twitter.com/TUrKbyh0Vs

— SNY (@SNYtv) February 5, 2025

Alonso, 30, has played all six of his seasons with the Mets. He has been one of the most prolific home run hitters in MLB over that span, belting 226 home runs with 586 RBI and a career slash line of .249/.339/.514. However, the Polar Bear declined an offer from the Mets during the 2023 season worth $158 million over seven years; the current offer that the Mets have on the table for Alonso is a three-year deal worth $70 million.

When speaking to fellow MLB insider Andy Martino and former Mets general manager Jim Duquette, Lennon suggested that Alonso would have trouble returning to the Mets’ clubhouse.

"That can be tough for players to do," Lennon said. "There’s a lot of professional pride here, these guys are the best in the world at what they do. We’ve seen that around other teams, guys do leave teams for not a lot of money difference."

Lennon even said that Alonso could feel that the contract standoff had damaged his role and stature within the Mets organization. Mets owner Steve Cohen revealed at the recent Mets Amazin' Day event just how difficult the negotiations with Alonso and his agent Scott Boras have been, calling the process “exhausting".

“When they decide, ‘Hey maybe this isn’t the fit I thought it was. Maybe the relationship isn’t the same, I’m not going to feel right going into the clubhouse where my stature could be diminished at this point,’” Lennon said.

Mets Spring Training kicks off on February 14th when pitchers and catchers report in Port St. Lucie, Florida.