The Mets are acting like they don’t really want Pete Alonso

The more things change with the New York Mets, the more they seem to stay the same.

While the team has swapped owners and general managers over the last few years, the ineptitude from leadership continues to hover over the team like the airplanes that used to fly over Shea Stadium.

Case in point: Spring training has begun, yet first baseman and fan favorite Pete Alonso could soon be entering a lame-duck season. 

He is playing on a one-year contract that was recently signed to avoid arbitration. So far the Mets have shown little interest in keeping him long-term, as the team hasn’t even offered him a contract extension.

Though it remains to be seen exactly how much money would keep Alonso in Queens, this much is true: He wants to stay. Here’s what he told reporters on his first day of spring training:

“I definitely have envisioned myself being a lifelong Met, that’s something I’ve definitely thought about. I love New York, it’s a really special place for my family … but I can’t predict the future. And for me, I just want to focus on this season.”

Although he has only been with the Mets for five seasons, Alonso has already become one of the top players in the team’s history. He holds the Mets record for most home runs in a season and is tied for fourth on their all-time HR list. He also has a Rookie of the Year award, along with a National League RBI title.

Yet despite his numbers and records, the fact that he’s 28 and may just be entering his prime, and that he wants to be in New York, the suits in the front office don’t seem convinced Alonso should be given an extension. 

This became clear before last year’s trade deadline when the team dangled him to see what offers were out there. And now they seem determined to let him test the waters after this year, with Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns saying that free agency is “probably the most likely outcome.”

After the train wreck that was the 2023 season, the Mets are entering a pivotal year. While their offseason activity has been less than overwhelming, they have enough talent to at least compete for a playoff spot. 

But if Alonso’s contract situation isn’t resolved, it will just end up being another distraction the team doesn’t need.

And if Alonso has a monster year and the Mets still decide to trade him or let him walk? Let’s just say owner Steve Cohen probably won’t be having many jovial interactions with fans.