Mets cannot seriously consider trading Pete Alonso
Mets’ Pete Alonso celebrates his home run in the dugout in the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners at Citi Field, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023. Credit: Corey Sipkin
When it comes to Pete Alonso’s future with the Mets, put aside the noise for a minute and consider the facts.
Since 2019, the slugging first baseman’s rookie season, no one in the majors has hit more homers (187) or delivered more RBIs (480). Sunday featured Alonso at his game-wrecking best, as he went deep twice and drove in four runs to power the Mets to a 6-3 victory over the Mariners at Citi Field.
Does that sound like a player the Mets — or any team, for that matter — would seriously pull the trigger on trading?
The short answer should be an unequivocal no.
Discuss certain scenarios involving Alonso? Sure. It can be helpful for the Mets to gauge how other teams value their players, even if they choose not to pursue a trade, and that happens plenty around the deadline without any of those details surfacing in the public.
Last month, it apparently went a little further than that in Alonso’s case. The Athletic reported that the Mets got within “field-goal range” of shipping their three-time All-Star to the Brewers for an undisclosed return.
That terminology is open to interpretation, however. Saying something is on the 5-yard line would be a heads-up to start packing bags. But a field goal? Now we’re talking anywhere from about the 40-yard line and in. That’s a far bigger gap.
In other words, expecting Alonso to be dealt is a bit premature, but having this sort of messaging in the air probably reveals more about his contract negotiations than any Mets desire to actually move him.
Either way, expect more of this chatter until Alonso’s long-term situation is resolved, and that might not happen until after next season, when he actually does reach free agency. For as much as the homegrown Alonso has accomplished in a Mets uniform — he’s only the fifth player in MLB history with at least three 40-homer seasons in his first five years — the business side is inescapable.
Knowing that, I asked Francisco Lindor after Sunday’s game if he was surprised that Alonso was in the eye of the trade-rumor hurricane. Lindor had just repeatedly praised Alonso for his remarkable combination of power and consistency — putting his teammate among a very select few in the sport — but that doesn’t give him immunity from the trade stuff.
“No, we’ve all been part of trades,” Lindor said. “And it’s going to happen again. It’s probably going to happen to me. It’s going to happen to everybody. Every player goes through waivers. If you’re knowledgeable and you understand the game, everybody knows that’s part of the game. Until a contract is done, you can end up anywhere.”
Lindor speaks from experience. He was a franchise cornerstone in Cleveland before the Guardians stunningly dealt him to the Mets after contract negotiations broke down heading into his walk year. Alonso has a similar storm on the horizon, and even though the Mets have the richest owner in baseball, both sides are going to use whatever leverage they can generate until pen gets put to paper.
Alonso has built a nearly unassailable resume during his four-plus seasons in Flushing. Not only has he muscled his way to the top in homers and RBIs, but he is fourth in total games played since 2019 with 659, trailing only Marcus Semien (673), Freddie Freeman (671) and Paul Goldschmidt (660). That doesn’t happen by accident, and at age 28, Alonso is a proven commodity.
“I just want to be the best I can be every single day,” he said. “I put a lot of hard work in — not just in the offseason, but in the day-to-day routine. I do what I can to study my opponent . . . I’m persistent, I love to compete and ultimately I love to win. And I love to help win the game any way I can.”
Those are more than just words with Alonso. And you can’t argue with the numbers.
On Sunday, he gave the Mets a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a two-out single up the middle — thanks to Lindor, who scored from first with some alert baserunning. In the third, Alonso drilled a 116-mph rocket of a line drive that cleared the leftfield wall for a two-run homer, No. 40. He tacked on the second blast in the seventh, giving him 100 RBIs and making him only the fourth Met to have at least three seasons in triple-digits.
“He’s special,” manager Buck Showalter said. “Through thick and thin, we know one thing — Pete’s going to walk through the door the same guy every day. And he’s a pleasure to be around.’’
As for the contract, that seems to be the only thing beyond Alonso’s power at the moment. And no one can guarantee how it will play out.
When Lindor was asked if he thinks an extension will get done with Alonso and the Mets, he hedged. “I would hope so,” he said. “We’ll see.”
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
