Pete Alonso, Mets Unlikely to Reach New Contract Before MLB Free Agency, Stearns Says

The New York Mets and Pete Alonso are unlikely to agree on a new contract before the first baseman hits MLB free agency.

Alonso agreed to a one-year, $20.5 million pact in January that avoided arbitration, but president of baseball operations David Stearns believes the star slugger will likely test the open market after this season.

"That's probably the most likely outcome," Stearns said, per Chuck King of the Associated Press. "Look, when you have a really talented player, who's really good, who's entering his final year of club control, who happens to be represented by Scott Boras, these things generally end up into free agency and we understand that. This is an organization that's dealt with that before with really good players and has ended up in a perfectly fine spot."

Alonso's new agent, Scott Boras, has been known to encourage players to maximize their value by weighing their options in free agency, which is why Stearns is expecting the 29-year-old to test the market after this season.

Last season, Alonso hit .217, notching 123 hits, 46 home runs and 118 RBI.

That represented a down year for the three-time All-Star, as he posted a career-low batting average and fewer hits than in each of his last two seasons. He also had fewer RBI than in 2022 when he drove in a league-best 131.

This season, Alonso will look to maximize his value and land a big contract in free agency.

After reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2017 two seasons ago, the Mets had a disappointing 75-87 finish last year, missing the postseason. New York fired manager Buck Showalter immediately after the end of the campaign, hiring Carlos Mendoza to take his place in November.

During the offseason, the Mets landed center fielder Harrison Bader, right-handed pitchers Luis Severino, Jorge Lopez, Michael Tonkin and Austin Adams, and infielder Joey Wendle. New York also traded for right-hander Adrian Houser and outfielder Tyrone Taylor from the Milwaukee Brewers along with right-handed reliever Yohan Ramirez from the Chicago White Sox.

With the offseason moves and Alonso back for at least another season, the Mets will be looking to be the contender they thought they were in 2023.