David Stearns On Pete Alonso: “I Do Not Anticipate Him Getting Traded”
At the General Manager meetings, a big topic of discussion for the New York Mets and the offseason in general is the status of first baseman Pete Alonso. Alonso will enter the final year of his contract with the Mets, and speculation about what might happen is rampant. Things picked up when Alonso hired Scott Boras as his agent. At the meetings on Wednesday, Boras and Mets president of baseball of operations David Stearns each took their turns with the media.
When Boras took the stage, he said he spoke with the Mets “at length“ about Alonso and his contract, saying that they are not in “contract hibernation”. Later on, it was Stearns’ time to speak. Stearns noted once again that he expects Alonso to be the Opening Day first baseman, “I do not anticipate him getting traded.” Stearns mentioned that he doesn’t like to draw lines in the sand and that he’ll never say never, but he doesn’t think Alonso will be traded this offseason.
Before the General Manager meetings, there was reported interest from teams such as the Chicago Cubs in acquiring Alonso. Heading into this week, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported that there was a 50/50 chance Alonso would get traded this offseason and it was very similar to the situation between Juan Soto and the San Diego Padres.
While the batting average for Alonso in 2023 was not ideal at .217, he hit 46 home runs and drove in 117 runs with a 3.2 WAR. Once again, aside from the shortened 2020 season, Alonso hit 35 or more home runs. Nobody in the game has hit more baseballs out of a ballpark than Alonso since 2019. Ideally, the Mets would like to get a deal done with Alonso before Opening Day, but with Boras’ track record with clients, including recent ones that the Mets signed, such as Brandon Nimmo, he likes to get them to free agency. Of course, if the Mets struggle again in 2024 come the trade deadline, Stearns will have a tough decision on his hands.
For now, Stearns and the Mets seem committed to at least wanting Alonso on the roster in 2024. Beyond that, however, is still the question, and the hope is he’ll be a Met for a long time to come.
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