QUEENS, NY — The question was understandably waiting for Pete Alonso following Sunday’s rubber-game loss to the Washington Nationals, even if there were more pressing matters at hand, like his New York Mets falling out of a playoff spot for the first time since April 5.
Once again, the very tangible reality is that Sunday’s 3-2 loss was Alonso’s final game at Citi Field as a member of the Mets. The 30-year-old slugging first baseman can opt out of his two-year, $54 million contract this offseason, and has every right to do so behind 37 home runs and 122 RBI — a brilliant bounceback season after a muted 2024 campaign tanked his market, forcing him to settle for a two-year deal rather than the long-term, $200 million-plus contract he and Scott Boras were looking for.
“If I had a nickel for how many times everyone in this room has said that… I’d be really, really rich,” Alonso, who set the franchise’s all-time home run record last month, said. “We’ll see what happens, but I’m a firm believer that the right thing is going to happen. You can’t necessarily control destiny, you can’t control what-ifs. But again, this place has been really special for me… Playing here at Citi is awesome. It’s super fun. The fans are awesome, super passionate.”
There is still a pivotal week of baseball left to be played before another offseason of speculation ramps up. With six games remaining, the Mets can still find a way to sneak into the postseason despite being one of the worst teams in baseball since mid-June.
If a remarkable collapse is completed, though, the franchise will have a lot more questions to answer besides what Alonso’s future holds, which dominated the headlines last winter, too.
“How many times did that happen [last year]?” Alonso asked. “And look where we are. So not necessarily focused on hypotehticals. I’m just focused on going to Chicago and playing our best baseball on Tuesday.”
