Sunday could be Pete Alonso’s last game as a member of the New York Mets at Citi Field in what is the team’s regular-season home finale against the Philadelphia Phillies, but manager Carlos Mendoza is more than adamant that it will not be.
“It’s not gonna be his last game here. We’re planning on playing more games here this year,” the skipper said. “…We’re not ready to call it. We expect to be back here to play more games this year.”
The slugging first baseman has rewritten — or is on pace to rewrite — the franchise’s record books. He has been the most prolific power hitter the team has ever seen in his six years with the club, mashing three 40-plus-homer seasons and a franchise and MLB rookie record 53 in 2019.
But the 29-year-old’s future in Queens is more than uncertain. He is a free agent following the 2024 season and there has been little to no progress on negotiations that could be made more difficult by Alonso’s representation, Scott Boras, wanting to potentially reset the first-baseman market with a contract of $200 million-plus.
At this time, it seems highly unlikely Alonso would get that sort of money from the Mets or almost anywhere else in the majors. But as Mendoza mentioned, there could still be a lot of baseball left to play this season.
The Mets have been the best team in baseball since June, overturning a 24-35 record on June 2 to enter Sunday with a two-game lead for the final place in the National League Wild Card standings ahead of the Atlanta Braves — the NL East division rival they will play three times beginning Tuesday in what could ultimately decide their season.
There will be considerable hurdles to clear for Alonso and the Mets to get back to Citi Field, though.
Not only will they have to hold off the Braves down in Atlanta, but they would likely have to win two games in their final series of the regular season in Milwaukee against the NL Central-champion Milwaukee Brewers.
Regardless if they finish second or third in the Wild Card standings, they would then have to win a best-of-three series on the road to advance to the NLDS. Only then would baseball return to Citi Field in Game 3 of the series.
The only way the Mets would get baseball back in Queens sooner is if they finished with the top record in the Wild Card standings. Entering Sunday’s action, they trailed the No. 1 Wild Card seed San Diego Padres by three games with seven regular-season games to go.
After giving an impassioned speech during a team meeting last Monday, Alonso has burdened some of the weight that has come with the recent absence of team MVP Francisco Lindor, who is dealing with a lower-back issue. In his last four games, Alonso has two home runs and seven RBI.
For more on Pete Alonso and the Mets, visit AMNY.com
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