Let's not worry about Pete Alonso's contract just yet...
All eyes were on Pete Alonso's comments (or non-comments) on his contract status in Port St. Lucie, but now is not the time to worry.
On Wednesday morning in Port St. Lucie, all eyes were on Mets star first baseman Pete Alonso who spoke to the media for the first time this spring. Alonso is one of the faces of this franchise, is coming off the best run-producing campaign in club history, and is set to be a part of a team competing for a championship in 2023… but no one came away thinking about that on Wednesday.
Instead, it was the comments that Alonso made about his contract situation — or even moreso what he did not say about his future free agent status — that captured more attention than anything else.
“I don’t feel comfortable talking about any contractual stuff,” Alonso told reporters on Wednesday. “Any question in that regard, you can always ask my agent.”
And before anyone jumps off the deep-end about these comments, it should be noted that Alonso had a lot of love to share about being a New York Met, too.
“There’s a lot of speculation, but for me I am really happy to be here, really happy to be a Met and I’m really looking forward to this year,” Alonso added. “This is really a special group of guys. I love this team. I love representing the city of New York. I love representing the New York Mets, and it’s a great place to play and I am really happy where I am at. Regarding the future, I don’t know what it holds. I am a New York Met in 2023 and stoked to be here and we have a hell of a team and it’s going to be a really exciting season.”
Now, I can understand why fans may come away from Alonso’s press availability this week and feel speculative, or even downright nervous. It was this time last year that Jacob deGrom was acting similarly cagey and didn’t want to discuss his contract status or future with the club, only for him to ultimately boot scootin’ boogey on down to Arlington, Texas this winter. Mets fans have been burned before, and although there’s a new sheriff in town, they’re still not far enough removed from an ownership group that too often let homegrown talent – hello José Reyes and Zack Wheeler — walk away to consider any other possible outcomes.
But there are reasons to believe this situation is different.
First off, Alonso is under contract with the Mets for the next two seasons, so there is still a long way to go between now and him potentially hitting the open market entering the 2024-25 offseason. Secondly, Alonso is just different from deGrom. He has been more vocal than Jake ever was about his affinity for playing in New York, he’s openly embraced playing on this big stage, has been featured in plenty of ads and media, and is still one of the young faces of this franchise. Alonso will turn 30 during the offseason that he’s set to become a free agent – four years younger than deGrom was this past winter and with none of the health concerns looming over him.
It should also be noted that the Mets did just take care of three of their own guys this offseason, re-signing or extending Edwin Díaz, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil for a total of $314 million.
It is hard to believe if Alonso’s love for New York is real and that he remains the healthy and extremely productive player he’s been throughout his career that Steve Cohen would ever let him leave. Ultimately, this is likely one of those scenarios that is so mutually beneficial for both the player and the franchise that neither will want to move on without the other.
And at the end of the day, this is not a concern for today. It’s easy to look ahead and worry about what may be one day, but Alonso and the Mets are in position to compete for a championship this year. This has all the makings of another incredibly fun and exciting season of Mets baseball, and I’d hate to compromise that by worrying about the contract status of a player that is guaranteed to be here the next two years.
The day will come in the near-future where we do have to have that conversation, but it’s not one worth worrying about today.
I am fine with someone that talented betting on himself and waiting. Worked out with Nimmo, and worked out for the other guys and Judge.
I find it a bit telling that Pete said "I'm not comfortable...ask my agent" and not "I don't wanna talk about it." Maybe I'm splitting hairs but the former seems more genuine? Like, maybe he just wants to focus on his game? It's worked out well so far.
Maybe that's a naive assessment, but trying to read the tea leaves feels like a fool's errand (all of which is to say I agree with you, Rich. Let's not jump to conclusions yet).