By CJ Carlson
Pete Alonso gave the New York Mets some incredible news this past week when he said that he hopes to be on the team for the long haul. He’s currently heading into a contract year, with the possibility of him playing elsewhere next season being a real option right now. However, he’s hoping to make things work with the Mets, and doesn’t plan to abandon ship just yet.
Alonso and the Mets will likely engage in contract talks leading up to the season, but there’s no current deadline on when they need to make something happen. When asking Alonso about an Opening Day deadline, he said that he’s not worried about getting something done by then. In fact, he said that he’s more than comfortable negotiating throughout the regular season if that’s what has to happen. Other players have done this as well, because it ends up being a distraction leading into the season.
Later on, Alonso had this to say about his contract situation, “I definitely have envisioned myself being a lifelong Met, that’s something I’ve definitely thought about. I welcome the idea, but I can’t predict the future.” What’s interesting to note is that Alonso switched agencies last year, and the new team he has boasts a reputation for taking star players to free agency to test their worth on the open market. Will that be the case for Alonso? We’ll have to wait and see.
Will The New York Mets Want Pete Alonso?
Of course, this is all assuming that the Mets still want Alonso past this season to begin with. His name popped up in trade rumors quite a bit last season, but New York reportedly wanted to hold onto him for as long as possible. The conflicting reports make this situation hard to judge when it comes to New York’s management, though they’ll have some time to figure it out.
Alonso did drop in batting average this past season, falling down to .217. Although, he’s still remained a devastatingly strong batter that can hit home runs like the best of them. He smashed away 46 home runs last season, and he’s in line to be similarly as productive moving forward. The 29-year-old is hoping to stick around, but will New York be willing to hand him that big contract he’s looking for?
