ALONSO FORCES HIS RETURN TO THE METS

I went to bed with all indications in my mind that Pete Alonso was about to strike a deal up with the Reds, and I wake up and he's a Met. Good for Pete.

Pete Alonso did what he had to do. He took matters into his own hands, shut down Scott Boras' negotiating tactics, and secured the deal that brought him back to the Mets. It wasn’t the contract he dreamed of, but it was the one he needed to return home. Mets fans adore him, but the front office failed to grasp that—probably because they aren’t true baseball minds.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Alonso and the Mets agreed on a two-year, $54 million contract, which includes a $10 million signing bonus and an opt-out after the first season. He’ll earn $20 million in the first year, giving him the flexibility to reassess his market next offseason.

Alonso had made it clear that he wanted to stay in Queens for the long haul. While he ultimately remains a Met, this wasn’t the long-term commitment he had hoped for.

A subpar 2024 season by his standards—hitting .240 with 34 home runs—along with concerns about his age, underlying metrics, and defensive value, weakened his free-agent market. The days of massive paydays for slugging first basemen appear to be over, and after months of searching for the right offer, Alonso and Boras had little choice but to pivot to a short-term deal, much like Boras did with several clients last offseason.

I’ll be clear—I’m no Mets fan. To me, they’re just the Mets. But the way they handled Alonso was downright embarrassing. Fortunately, he’s back where he belongs. He may not be the best first baseman in the league anymore, but his loyalty and passion for the team should have meant something months ago. Instead, Steve Cohen was too busy throwing nearly a billion dollars at a soon-to-be declining Juan Soto to recognize the heart and soul already in his clubhouse.

I'm glad Pete's home. Good for him.