The New York Mets have a decision to make regarding extending slugger Pete Alonso.
Alonso, 29 years old, made his debut with the Mets in March of 2019.
From the first game of his career with New York, he's done nothing but hit home runs. He broke the rookie home run record with 53, bursting onto the scene and showing baseball that he's more than ready to play at the highest level.
Spotrac predicted him to land a 9-year, $270 million deal, which includes a $22 million signing bonus. While that's a hefty price, he's proven to be worth it.
On an episode of "Foul Territory," Alonso spoke about contract talks and the organization.
"I love the city. I love playing as a Met, I love being a Met. The personality of the guys in the clubhouse, the staff and the coaches. For me this is family and this is home, so I'm just sitting back and listening."
He clearly has a love for the organization, city, and fan base, an added bonus when discussing if he's worth a $200-plus million contract.
Not giving Alonso whatever he wants is a questionable tactic from the Mets' point of view.
In every full season, he's hit 53, 37, 40, and 46 home runs.
There's not a player in baseball who hits the long ball at the same rate that Alonso does.
For a team and organization that has struggled to find offensive help throughout the past few seasons, it's highly questionable why they're messing around with this.
Allowing Alonso to hit the open market gives other teams an opportunity to hand him the money he's worth, hurting New York's chances even further.
The three-time All-Star will have to continue showing why he deserves to be paid and if history repeats itself, he'll do just that.
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