The question of the offseason has been surrounding the future of New York Mets superstar slugging first baseman Pete Alonso, who is entering the final year of his deal.
Will he be traded? Will the Mets sign him to a long-term extension prior to the regular season?
The answer appears to be neither.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns went on "Foul Territory" on Wednesday, and had this to say when asked about Alonso's future with the team:
"I think where we are, where Pete is, we are going to focus on this year," Stearns said. "Best thing for us is for Pete to have a good year and the best thing for Pete is for Pete to have a good year. And then we will go forward from there."
Based off Stearns' comments, the Mets appear to be comfortable letting this season play out before competing with 29 other clubs for Alonso's services in free agency next winter. This is a risk, but does not mean he is gone, as the Mets did the same thing last year with Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Diaz and Jacob deGrom. They were able to retain the former two.
Alonso has been averaging 45 home runs per season and has slugged more homers and driven in more RBIs than any player since entering the league in 2019. Regardless of how this season plays out, the 29-year-old is setup for a major payday, and that's likely what he will receive as a new client of super agent Scott Boras.
The good news is Stearns and the Mets are confident in their chances to be able to re-sign Alonso and keep him in Queens for the foreseeable future. It appears that this is the plan.
"We're certainly invested in keeping Pete a Met and I'm hopeful, over time, we'll be able to work that out," Stearns said.
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