Does Pete Alonso deserve better than the Mets?

As hard as it is being a fan of the New York Mets, it must similarly be hard being a member of the team. While fame and fortune are certainly nice, for players that want to win, time and time again this organization has proven that it doesn’t have a winning pedigree. And, regardless of ownership, it also has a lousy track record when it comes to how it treats its players.

Case in point: Pete Alonso. For four-plus years, he’s been a constant in the Mets lineup. While his batting average has dipped this season, he’s still on pace to have some of the best slugging and power numbers of his career. He’s also one of the longest tenured players on the club and the face of the team. Plus, he’s only 28 and may only be on the cusp of his prime.

Even with all of that, the Mets may end up trading him. 

On paper, the Mets still look like a team to be reckoned with. While 2023 has been a train wreck, this team won 101 games last season. It has many potential cornerstones like Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo signed to long-term deals, along with several promising young players. It also has a seemingly bottomless barrel of money to work with, though clearly that doesn’t always translate to success.

Even with all of that, perhaps Alonso should welcome a one-way ticket out of Queens.

Once the Mets decided to raise the white flag this year, one of their first moves was to jettison Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers. And he wasn’t in the Lone Star State very long before he revealed some rather surprising and quite baffling news. Not only was Mets management punting on 2023, they weren’t terribly interested in competing in 2024 or 2025 either. Instead, they had their sights set on 2026.

Does Alonso want to remain on a mediocre team for the next several seasons before the suits decide that it’s time to be competitive?

Another thing that Alonso should rightfully be irked about is a report that the Mets have a “toxic” clubhouse and that he is one of the biggest problems. Many of his teammates have disputed this, and several are actively lobbying for the Mets to keep him. And while this may just be a case of a radio talk show host looking for attention, would it surprise anyone if these rumors were started by the team itself? Maybe the Mets have already decided to get rid of Alonso – perhaps for cost-cutting reasons – and this would be a way to make it look like they were doing so to help the team.

After a terrible year, the Mets will have some big decisions to make this offseason. And if they do decide to move their first baseman, it could end up being yet another mistake in their long history of mistakes. But for Alonso, it might be the best thing that could happen to him.