Mets Rumors: Pete Alonso Viewed As a 'Priority' by NY Ahead of Contract Year

The New York Mets are hoping to keep slugger Pete Alonso for the long run.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Milwaukee Brewers have checked in on Alonso but the Mets intend to keep the first baseman.

"The Mets did talk to the Brewers (and others) about Pete Alonso (and Milwaukee ownership approved picking up what was left on Alonso's 2023 salary), but indications are they will try again to keep Alonso long-term," Heyman wrote.

"Pete is a priority," one Mets person told Heyman.

Alonso is set to hit free agency after the 2024 season and is arbitration-eligible this offseason. Previous reports had the Mets looking to trade Alonso in the offseason, but it now appears they have shifted their mentality.

Alonso is hitting .222 in 2023 with 45 home runs and 114 RBIs. He led the league in home runs in 2019 with 53 and led all hitters with 131 RBIs in 2022. He is an extremely productive power bat and the Mets looking to invest in him does show that the direction is upwards.

Heading into the 2023 season, this would have seemed like an obvious conclusion. New York won 101 games and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The team then invested in pitcher Justin Verlander a year after signing Max Scherzer and extended closer Edwin Díaz after his breakout season.

The Mets entered 2023 with the highest payroll in baseball but that did not pay off. Díaz missed the season after suffering an injury in the World Baseball Classic and the team slumped and eventually sold both Verlander and Scherzer at the deadline.

The Mets currently sit at 71-81 and in fourth place in the NL East. This will be a major step back from last season's success, which led to the speculation that the team may ship Alonso out of town. Instead, it looks like the team will look to come to turns and try to forget this lost season in 2024.