Pete Alonso (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Pete Alonso is on the path to becoming the greatest offensive homegrown product in New York Mets franchise history.
He’s going to smash every home-run record in the book if he hasn’t done so already.Â
The 28-year-old set the single-season franchise record with 53 home runs in his rookie season in 2019. He became the first Met to record multiple 40-plus-home-run seasons when he smacked exactly 40 last year.Â
In just five seasons since his debut, his 185 home runs are the most hit by any player in Major League Baseball. It also already ranks fifth in Mets history behind only Darryl Strawberry (252), David Wright (242), Mike Piazza (220), and Howard Johnson (192). With 39 home runs in 119 games this season, he’s not only on pace to move past Johnson this year, but he’s going to own the franchise record in the next two years.
The only thing that appears to be standing in his way is his own front office.
Alonso is a free agent following the 2024 season and for a franchise that has been devoid of a generational bat that it developed and then kept for the entirety of a full, uninterrupted career, the Mets don’t seem very keen on securing their greatest power hitter ever.
General manager Billy Eppler and owner Steve Cohen have not gone as far as to say they’re committed to offering Alonso a contract extension to avoid free agency altogether even though the franchise is not short of the funds to dole out a deal that will likely be close to a decade long and over $210 million.Â
Granted, the philosophy of the front office has pulled off a complete 180 due to an underachieving 2023. The richest team in baseball that spent nearly $1 billion last winter used the trade deadline to sell veteran, expiring contracts and build up the farm system to realign their contending window to 2025 or 2026.
Alonso’s contract would be a sizable deal to take on, but parting ways with him would leave a considerable void that would…
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