Inside The Mets

Insider urges New York Mets to retain star slugger Pete Alonso

One MLB insider wants the New York Mets to ensure Pete Alonso stays put past this season.
Apr 2, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) reacts after hitting an RBI double against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Apr 2, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) reacts after hitting an RBI double against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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It didn't take long for New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso to remind his organization and fanbase why they were so excited to learn that he'd re-signed with the team about a week before 2025 spring training began on a two-year, $54 million deal that includes a player opt-out after this season.

This reminder came in the fifth inning of New York's March 31 win over the Miami Marlins, when Alonso sent a 3-2 fastball into the right-center field bleachers for a grand slam, marking the first home run of his 2025 campaign and the 227th of his Mets career.

Unless an injury occurs (knock on wood), Alonso is almost certainly going to become the Mets' franchise leader in home runs this season. And depending on how long he remains in Queens, Alonso could make that home run record nearly untouchable (save for a 26-year-old named Juan Soto) by the time his New York tenure ends.

But the question becomes how long Alonso will want to stay in Queens after 2025, and whether New York's front office will want to keep him around; especially with superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. potentially becoming a free agent next offseason.

Read more: Mets 'bold prediction' projects superstar power surge

In an April 2 article, Jon Heyman of the New York Post spoke openly about the Mets potentially overlooking Alonso in favor of Guerrero Jr. in the offseason. He also discussed how Alonso didn't really want to leave the Mets this past winter, and head coach Carlos Mendoza certainly still wants him manning first base.

Heyman's overall sentiment seemed to be that the grass isn't always greener on the other side of MLB free agency, and New York would be wise to keep their Polar Bear in place past this season.

It's a sentiment that most Mets fans would probably agree with.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.