The only thing Pete Alonso seemed to be remorseful about was that his contract negotiations all winter with the New York Mets were “exhausting” for owner Steve Cohen.
“Oh, well, sorry Steve,” Alonso said with a grin.
The 30-year-old slugging first baseman reported to Mets facilities for his first day of spring training on Monday, firmly putting behind a winter of uncertainty that could very well have ended his six-year run with the club that drafted him.
Ultimately, Alonso and his agent, Scott Boras, worked a two-year, $54 million deal with an opt-out with Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns earlier this month.
“I think the most fulfilling part is the story continuing,” Alonso said. “We’ve fostered so many great relationships… It feels like the stars are aligning and I can’t wait for camp and games to start, and Opening Day can’t come soon enough.”
This was not the contract Alonso was expected to get. The man who has hit the most home runs in the National League since his debut in 2019 turned down a seven-year, $158 million contract extension during the summer of 2023. He proceeded to fire his previous agent and join forces with Boras, who was looking to score Alonso a long-term deal to reset the first-baseman market — one that would flirt with $200 million.
But Alonso had one of his worst statistical full seasons as a pro in 2024, hitting 34 home runs with 88 RBI and a .788 OPS. It tempered his expectations this winter, but his market appeared to be practically non-existent, which only strengthened the Mets’ standing as his only logical landing spot.
Granted, there was no other place Alonso wanted to go.
“This was it,” Alonso said. “Throughout the entire offseason, we had the best dialogue from the Mets and that was it. For us, this was the best opportunity for me and I’m just really happy to be back. This was it.”
Consider the $30 million he will make in 2025, putting him atop the biggest single-year paydays among first basemen, a significant consolation prize.
“For me, I definitely feel like I pushed the market forward a little bit,” Alonso said. “Making $30 million as a first baseman this year is definitely an accomplishment. Just pushing the market forward for a 30-year-old first baseman. For me, that’s a win, but also, I couldn’t expect something incredibly mega-long because I didn’t have my best year.”
He added that he didn’t “really regret” how things played out, even with the long wait to sign and the lack of long-term stability.
This upcoming season is now even more of a make-or-break campaign for the man nicknamed the “Polar Bear.” Not only does his return bolster the middle of the Mets’ lineup behind Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto, but the opt-out following 2025 could see him in the same position as he was this winter.
A big year could yield the long-term contract he is looking for, and if it was up to him, it would come from the Mets.
“That’d be fantastic,” Alonso said. “For me, I’ve had a great six seasons, and people have been so receptive. This has been home. That would be fantastic. This is such a great organization, there’s such great people here… just a fantastic place. That could be really awesome…
“I just want to do right by [Cohen, Stearns] and the people who have continuously believed in me… this has been home. Everybody in this organization has believed in me since I was drafted. There’s a reason why I’m still here. Ultimately, however negotiations go, you put all that aside. This place, this team, these people have believed in me since Day 1. That means something. That means a lot to me. It’s that constant belief. Yeah, negotiations are tough, but that’s the business side of it.”
