Mets' Pete Alonso addresses trade, clubhouse rumors

New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso understands that general manager Billy Eppler and team owner Steve Cohen must keep their options open regarding the uncertain future of the All-Star first baseman. 

"Of course, trade rumors are going to pop up," Alonso told MLB writer Deesha Thosar of Fox Sports for a piece published Wednesday. "...My job is to play the best I can for the team. Obviously, I'm a piece to the puzzle and I'm a part of the machine. But (Eppler's) gotta do his job, and I gotta do mine. He has to answer the phone. It's not personal."

Alonso remains eligible for free agency after the 2024 season and was the subject of numerous trade rumors even before the club's fire sale began. However, it was reported early Wednesday morning that the Mets have held extension talks with Alonso's representatives and that "there’s no urgency to get something done right now" even though the two parties haven't yet come to an agreement. 

WFAN radio host Sal Licata raised eyebrows earlier this month when he suggested during an on-air segment that "Alonso was made available" before the trade deadline because "it's a fact" that the Mets had "a major problem" in the clubhouse this season. Ace Max Scherzer, traded from the Mets to the Texas Rangers, insisted this week that the Amazins "actually had a great clubhouse" and "were a tight-knit group" during his tenure. 

"I think that anything and everything can be written. It's the age of social media," Alonso responded to such claims. "For me, the only thing that really matters to me is the respect from my peers, which are the people who I work with every day. And that includes not just players and coaches, but also [media members] who are in here [the clubhouse]. The person who said that, I've never seen him. I don't even know him. I don't really put any merit into it because it's someone I don't know." 

Licata also works for SNY, the cable television home of the Mets.

Mets bench coach Eric Chavez told Thosar that any whispers about Alonso being part of an alleged "toxic environment" inside the clubhouse are "b.s." and "ridiculous." Star shortstop Francisco Lindor called Alonso "one of the best guys in this clubhouse." 

Interestingly, Thosar added that "all the uncertainty surrounding Alonso has at least a handful of Mets players planning to privately appeal for him to be retained" via conversations with Cohen. Those players say the 28-year-old fan-favorite "is a hard worker and fun-loving, terrific at what he does, handles playing in New York with aplomb, a glue guy of the clubhouse and a special member of the team's core." 

Insiders and analysts sound split about whether Cohen will actually punt on 2024 and trade veterans such as Alonso and All-Star closer Edwin Diaz this offseason to restock the farm system with the second half of the decade in mind. Such an approach may be easier said than done for the big-spending owner depending on the Mets' ticket sales for games held at Citi Field next year.