The New York Mets are not anticipating engaging in negotiations with their power-hitting star, Pete Alonso, for a long-term contract before he explores free agency next year.
This insight comes from David Stearns, the president of baseball operations, who shared his perspective during a press conference on Monday. Stearns pointed to the complexities involved in dealing with Scott Boras, Alonso’s agent since October.
Stearns expressed, “I think that’s probably the most likely outcome. We’re not going to get into the specifics of any particular negotiation… But, look, when you have a really talented player, who’s really good, who’s entering his final year of club control, who happens to be represented by Scott Boras, these things generally end up into free agency, and we understand that. This is an organization that’s dealt with that before.”
Since assuming his position in October, Stearns admitted that he hasn’t met with Alonso.
Alonso, aged 29, is set to play under a one-year, $20.5 million arbitration deal for this season. Unless a long-term agreement is reached with the Mets, he will become a free agent next offseason.
Alonso has established himself as one of baseball’s premier power hitters, earning three All-Star selections in his five-year MLB career, including the last two.
Notably, he led the NL in home runs during his rookie year in 2019 with an impressive 53. In the subsequent seasons, he hit 46 and 40 home runs in 2023 and 2022, respectively, while also topping the league with 131 RBI.
Throughout his career, Alonso has maintained a solid slash line of .251/.342/.528. In the four full seasons, excluding the shortened 2020 campaign due to COVID-19, he has averaged 44 home runs and 116 RBI per season, demonstrating remarkable consistency by appearing in at least 152 games each year.
Should Alonso enter free agency, he is expected to be among the most sought-after players on the market. With Boras representing him, this outcome seems highly probable, as acknowledged by Stearns.
Boras previously indicated openness to pre-offseason negotiations, stating, “We’re open to listening. Pete has directed me to listen to what they have to say, and we’ll go from there.” While some of Boras’s clients have signed with their teams before free agency, such as Stephen Strasburg’s notable seven-year, $175 million contract with the Washington Nationals in 2016, such instances are exceptions rather than the norm.
Stearns, with over a decade of experience in baseball, is familiar with this dynamic and appears resigned to the process.
