Pete Alonso could not quite find the right words when he realized that there was no more New York Mets baseball separating him from free agency.
“Right now, I’m just kind of shell-shocked that the season’s over,” Alonso said following the Mets’ 10-5 loss in Game 6 of the NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers, which ended their season two wins shy of a pennant. “Once you get on this postseason run, you kind of don’t think that it’s going to end.”
A bitter pill to swallow, but now comes the trick part: Will he be back with the Mets to settle the unfinished business of falling just short of a World Series appearance?
“Honestly, I haven’t really thought of anything [beyond that],” Alonso said. “I love this team. I love this organization. This fan base has treated not just myself but my family so, so well. Right now, I’m just thinking of the group.”
The 29-year-old has developed into one of the most prolific sluggers in franchise history, already ranking third with 226 career home runs after six pro seasons, trailing only Darryl Strawberry and David Wright.
Despite a year in which he posted full-season career lows of 34 home runs and a .788 OPS, Alonso made his largest contributions to the organization, yet. Down to their final out in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, his three-run home run against star closer Devin Williams clinched the Mets’ spot in the NLDS.
Across 13 postseason games, he posted a .999 OPS with four home runs.
In theory, Alonso is exactly what the Mets have lacked since their inception: A home-grown offensive powerhouse who could spend his entire, healthy prime and most of his career in Queens. But a precarious road could lay ahead for both player and franchise.
Alonso, now represented by Scott Boras, turned down a reported seven-year, $158 million deal before last summer’s trade deadline. Rumors have indicated that Alonso and Boras want to reset the first baseman market with a deal of $200 million, but his down regular season likely eliminated any notion of that.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns does not have to bend at every whim of Boras, either. Mark Vientos has emerged as a star in the making after hitting 27 home runs in the regular season — his first full season in the big leagues — while hitting another five round-trippers in the playoffs with a single-postseason franchise record 14 RBI. He found a home at third base with Brett Baty struggling during the early portions of the season, but his defense could be a better fit across the diamond at first; especially with Baty, Ronny Mauricio, and perhaps even Luisangel Acuna competing for time at the hot corner next season.
“We’ll see what happens. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Alonso said. “But I love New York. I love this team. I love playing in Queens. This group is really special, and the memories that we’ve created together are just, wow. This is why we play baseball.”
