Why the Mets should bring back Pete Alonso

Should Pete Alonso be a Met for life?

Aug 28, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) runs the bases after hitting a two run home run against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

For the second straight offseason, Pete Alonso's future with the New York Mets is in doubt.

Alonso officially opted out of the final year of the two-year, $54 million deal he signed with New York last offseason this past week. The expectation is that the slugger will be looking for a much bigger contract after a strong 2025 season.

While a reunion with the Mets seems like the right thing for both sides to do, there is no guarantee that Alonso will return to Queens next season. This scenario seems especially in doubt after Pat Ragazzo of On SI reported on Saturday that the Mets may let the Polar Bear walk in free agency unless he takes a "team-friendly deal."

Here's what i'm hearing about the Mets' offseason planshttps://t.co/PAkuvD9QtO

— Pat Ragazzo (@ragazzoreport) November 8, 2025

Despite Alonso not being known for his defense at first base, his offensive prowess is undeniable and is more than enough reason for why the Amazins' need to re-sign him.

Why Pete Alonso has to be a priority for the Mets this offseason

Aug 14, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) waves after a ceremony celebrating his new Mets all time home run record before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The 30-year-old is not only coming off a bounce-back season in 2025, but also a historic one that will forever cement him as a Mets legend. For the second season in a row, Alonso appeared in every regular-season game, posting a .272 batting average with 38 home runs and 126 RBI; the latter was second in all of baseball behind Kyle Schwarber.

Alonso also became the Mets' all-time home run leader on August 12 against the Atlanta Braves, clubbing his 253rd career long ball to surpass Darryl Strawberry. He finished the 2025 season sitting comfortably atop the Mets' all-time home run leaderboard with 264 home runs.

Read More: David Stearn's 2-word message may have sealed Pete Alonso's Mets future

Since making his major league debut back in 2019, Alonso has hit 30 or more home runs in six of his seven seasons and has also slugged 40 or more in three of them. His best season, of course, came during his 2019 rookie campaign when he hit 53 home runs, surpassing Aaron Judge for the most home runs by a rookie in Major League Baseball history.

His 264 career home runs since 2019 are also the third most in all of baseball behind the aforementioned Schwarber (268) and Judge (285).

Even though New York has many roster holes that they need to address, such as upgrading their starting rotation and hoping to re-sign All-Star closer Edwin Díaz after he also opted out of his contract, replacing Alonso's bat will be very hard to do. President of baseball operations David Stearns has harped about run prevention as one of the main factors in why the Mets missed the postseason, but Alonso's power at the plate still outweighs his defensive shortcomings.

And if there was any bright spot in what was a disastrous 2025 campaign for the Mets, Alonso was certainly one of them, creating a dangerous top of the lineup along with Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto. That is yet another reason why the Mets have to make Pete Alonso a Met for life.