Radio legend addresses 'campaign' against Mets' Pete Alonso

New York sports radio legend Mike Francesa suggested the contract that New York Mets owner Steve Cohen gave to shortstop Francisco Lindor could impact the future of All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso.

"There is a little bit of a campaign going on here," Francesa said during Monday's edition of his BetRivers podcast about trade rumors involving Alonso, as shared by James Kratch of Elite Sports NY. "I don’t know if it’s a campaign to get him to get off the dime and not ask for an outrageous amount of money. His agent, if he is doing his job, is going to bring up the Lindor contract. Why wouldn’t he?" 

Cohen assumed ownership of the Mets in the fall of 2020 and then handed Lindor a 10-year contract extension that could be worth up to $341M shortly before the start of the 2021 season. As for Alonso, he's eligible for free agency after the 2024 campaign and has been the subject of trade rumors throughout the summer. As recently as Sunday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that "several executives insist" that the 28-year-old slugger "is expected to be traded" following the ongoing season. 

"Alonso is 28, he’s going to be 29 before he starts the next season," Francesa continued. "They don’t want to give him a contract that long. OK. I’m not saying Alonso didn’t change a little bit, I’m not saying he didn’t have some confrontations. But this is a campaign, and it has been patently unfair. The Mets will miss Alonso a lot if they get rid of him. I think they had better get a lot for him if they let him go." 

The Mets' pre-trade deadline fire sale reportedly was about both restocking the franchise's farm system and dealing with alleged clubhouse issues. While MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post hinted ahead of the weekend that the Mets could hold onto Alonso via a five-year deal worth around $175M, it sounds like the Amazins are unwilling to commit that much money to the fan-favorite for whatever reason.