Mets' Pete Alonso Put Himself in 'Superior Position' for Free Agency, MLB Exec Says

One year after a frustrating free-agent experience, Pete Alonso is hoping for a better result this winter, coming off a strong 2025 season with the New York Mets.

An executive for a National League team told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand that Alonso has "put himself in a superior position relative to last offseason, that much is clear."

Alonso said in the immediate aftermath of the Mets' final game of the season Sunday that he was going to exercise the opt-out in his contract to become a free agent.

The announcement was hardly a surprise, especially given how well Alonso played this season. He hit .272/.347/.524 with 38 homers in 162 games. His 144 OPS+ was the third-highest of his career, after his historic rookie year in 2019 (147) and 2022 (146).

Another key factor in Alonso's free agency that won't impact him this year is the qualifying offer. MLB rules prevent teams from using the qualifying offer on a player who has previously received it, which he did last year, so his signing won't cost the acquiring team a draft pick.

"Not having the qualifying offer will be huge for him," one American League executive told Feinsand. "Teams that might not have considered him last year may think differently now."

It could also help that there aren't a lot of superstar-level position players available this offseason, compared to last year when Juan Soto was the jewel of the class. Alonso, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman (player opt-out) and Bo Bichette are the top four position players who can become free agents this winter.

However, one of the big issues that plagued Alonso last offseason isn't going to change. Below-average defensive first basemen over the age of 30—he will turn 31 on Dec. 7—with contact issues haven't attracted a lot of attention from teams.

Alonso did improve his strikeout rate this season to 22.8 percent, his lowest since 2022, but he also had the lowest walk rate (8.6 percent) and highest batting average on balls in play (.305) of his career.

If Alonso's improvements this season can sustain themselves going forward, teams looking for a power bat to plug in the middle of their lineup should be knocking down his door with a lucrative contract offer.

At the very least, it seems like a safe bet that Alonso will improve on the two-year, $54 million deal he settled for with the Mets in February right before spring training began.