Pete Alonso adores the New York Mets and their city.
Begrudgingly, many New York Mets supporters have come to terms with the notion that 2024 will likely be a transitional season centered on the growth of the team’s younger players. Unfortunately, excessive patience is a defining characteristic of their fandom and may therefore be sustained for an additional year.
However, it is contingent upon the organization making every effort to re-sign Pete Alonso prior to his free agency opening up the next year. However, there have reportedly been no contract negotiations, which raises even more doubts about the possibility that a deal would be completed in the upcoming months. The three-time All-Star first baseman is probably motivated to launch a bidding war on the open market because Scott Boras is his agent.
But Alonso is very clear about what he intends to achieve. There’s more to New York than just his work. His heart is with this franchise and neighborhood.
“Honestly I love this city,” the 29-year-old slugger told the Foul Territory podcast. “I love playing as a Met, I love being a Met…the personality of the guys in the clubhouse, the staff and the coaches. For me this is family and this is home, so I’m just sitting back and listening.”
Can Pete Alonso stay with the Mets if his life-altering experiences are sufficient?
This love letter to the Mets should make all Queens feel good, even though it would have been much nicer to hear those sentiments directly from Boras. Pete Alonso wishes to establish himself as a legendary member of the team. After hitting 192 home runs in his first 684 games of the season, he is already on that track and may be ready for a big 2024 year.
The Mets will be forced to extend a big contract offer to Alonso if he can show management that his 2023 batting average of .217 is, in fact, an anomaly (.251 lifetime hitter). That may need to occur in free agency, though.