Why Mets must retain Pete Alonso amid opt-out

After languishing on the free agent market last winter following a tough platform season in 2024, Alonso figures to generate more interest this year. He put together a stronger 2025 campaign, setting a career high in batting average (.272) with 38 home runs and 126 RBI in 624 at-bats. There is also no qualifying offer attached to Alonso this winter, so any team that signs him will not forfeit draft picks to add the Polar Bear to their lineup.

Negotiations between Alonso and the Mets were drawn out last winter, with owner Steve Cohen later expressing frustration at the lengths it took to get a deal done with Alonso's agent Scott Boras. There is also a question of whether Mets' president of baseball operations David Stearns views a long-term deal for Alonso as a worthy investment, since the archetypical slugging first baseman who isn't a good defender usually does not age well.

Why Pete Alonso should be the Mets' top priority this winter

While Alonso's flaws are certainly something to worry about over the course of a long-term contract, the Mets also can't ignore what he brings to the table right now. There isn't a better pure power hitter on the market right now than Alonso, who offers important protection for Juan Soto in the middle of the Mets' batting order.

Teams may be more emboldened to pitch around Soto if they aren't staring at a proven slugger like Alonso, who can make them pay with a clutch extra base hit. While there are opportunities to fill Alonso's production in aggregate, it is a smarter strategy in baseball team construction to simply keep the star player around because then you can supplement their production with extra players instead of hoping to come close to duplicating it.

The Mets' alternatives to Alonso aren't particularly inspiring on the free agent market. Playoff hero Josh Naylor is the best pure first baseman out there and is a better defender than Alonso, but he has peaked at 31 home runs and has only driven in 100 runs in a season once. Cody Bellinger can match Alonso's power potential, but figures to be in high demand thanks to his ability to play multiple outfield positions, with the New York Yankees also highly motivated to keep him in the Bronx.

While the Mets may not want to guarantee a six or seven-year deal for Alonso like Boras is going to demand, they should be heavily involved if they can keep the total length of the deal below five years. Perhaps a structure where the Mets pay Alonso more money up front to reduce the number of guaranteed years in the deal is a winning strategy, and they could explore another player option to give Alonso an opportunity to cash in again if he maintains elite power production into his mid-30s.

The other important consideration for the Mets is that they are firmly in a win-now window, and it is hard to see their lineup being better in 2026 without Alonso in it. The best option the Mets have is to find a way to retain Alonso and add more pieces around him, instead of letting him go and simply hoping they can build more depth into the lineup.