Darryl Strawberry often would refer to his story as a cautionary tale for this generation of New York Mets, but Pete Alonso did not listen.
The Mets great, who was the franchise’s all-time home run leader with 252 until Alonso surpassed him last season, admitted that he was “shocked” that the slugging first baseman walked in free agency to the Baltimore Orioles, where he signed a five-year, $155 million pact during the Winter Meetings.
“I was really shocked that Pete would leave New York for Baltimore,” Strawberry told reporters on Monday from spring training (h/t Laura Albanese, Newsday). “Pete could have broken all the records and could have been on top of every offensive category for this organization, and then sometimes when you don’t see that and realize how important that is, one day he is going to wake up just like I did and regret you didn’t stick where you are at.”
Amid a litany of off-field issues, Strawberry left the Mets as a free agent after the 1990 season, signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers in a decision that left him with a “belly-full of regrets.” He had often been a vocal proponent of Alonso being a lifer in Queens, providing the organization with something it has never had: a homegrown, elite offensive product who spent an entire, healthy career with the team.
The Mets, of course, are not exempt from blame here. After a dramatic offseason of negotiations following the 2024 season, a two-year prove-it deal was agreed upon. Alonso opted out of it following last season’s postseason miss, which saw him admit just moments after they were eliminated from contention that he planned to do so — a significant mistake, by Strawberry’s standards.
The Mets never sent an offer to keep him this offseason.
“I think they both could have fought harder in that situation,” Strawberry said.
