Radio, TV host shares bombshell update on Mets' Pete Alonso

WFAN and SNY host Sal Licata dropped somewhat of a bombshell while speaking about New York Mets All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso during Wednesday's edition of the WFAN "Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata" program. 

"I’m not 100% certain that Alonso is all about being a lifelong Met," Licata said about what he'd heard from industry sources, per Manuel Gómez of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "I think it’s very possible that he may prefer, the two teams that I’ve heard..."

Licata, who works for the television home of the Mets (SNY), later confirmed those clubs are the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees.

As recently as Tuesday, Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic reported that a "league source" said that "there is little expectation that there will be substantive negotiations about a contract extension before Alonso hits free agency" after the upcoming season. The popular 29-year-old hired Scott Boras as his new agent this past fall and was heavily linked with the Cubs shortly after the 2023 regular season ended. 

David Stearns officially became Mets president of baseball operations in early October and has repeatedly said he does not "anticipate" trading Alonso this winter. That, of course, means little as it pertains to the "Polar Bear" possibly signing with either the Cubs or Yankees this coming fall. 

Licata generated headlines and controversy when he said in August that "Alonso was made available" to other teams before this past summer's trade deadline in part because the Mets needed "a significant change in that clubhouse and their culture." Alonso later mentioned he'd "never seen" and didn't know "the person who said that," and Licata clarified in September that "nobody ever said Pete was the problem" for a 2023 Mets side that finished with a 75-87 record. 

For a piece published Tuesday morning, MLB insider Joel Sherman of the New York Post noted he can envision the Mets "at least listening" to trade offers from other clubs for Alonso's services in July. For whatever reasons, in-the-know individuals continue to speculate that Alonso isn't all-in on remaining with the only MLB home he's known since 2019 beyond the 2024 season.