Mets legend Darryl Strawberry shares warning for Pete Alonso about joining Orioles

Pockets of New York Mets fans were brokenhearted to learn during the offseason that beloved first baseman Pete Alonso wouldn't be returning to the club and had instead signed a five-year, $155M contract to join the Baltimore Orioles.

Mets legend Darryl Strawberry knows a little something about the decision Alonso made following the 2025 season, as Strawberry featured for the Amazins from 1983 up until he left the team to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 1990 campaign. During a recent chat with Laura Albanese of Newsday, Strawberry shared somewhat of a warning for Alonso regarding the "Polar Bear" relocating to Baltimore. 

Will Pete Alonso regret leaving Mets for Orioles?

"Pete could have broken all the records," Strawberry said about Alonso. "He could have been at the top of every offensive category for this organization...One day, he's going to wake up just like I did, and he’s going to regret [leaving the Mets]."

Alonso leapfrogged Strawberry to become the Mets' all-time home run king last season, and Alonso routinely made it known that he wanted to stay with the organization if it valued his contributions. However, it's now known that Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns never extended a formal offer to Alonso this past fall. In January, The Athletic's Will Sammon and Tim Britton noted that Mets owner Steve Cohen wasn't going to match the deal Alonso received from the Orioles.

"I don’t leave New York to go to Baltimore," Strawberry continued while speaking about Alonso. "Don’t get me wrong, I’m not [knocking] Baltimore, but I’m saying it’s not New York…He was on his way to something really special and great. You’re talking about surpassing me with the home runs, surpassing me with RBIs, passing David Wright with RBIs, too. He could have really elevated himself in the books and numbers. What guys don’t understand is that stands forever."

For what it's worth, there's no indication Alonso has any regrets about inking a five-year deal with Baltimore that he was never going to receive from the Mets. Strawberry thinks Alonso may feel differently about his decision if the slugger watches some of his former Mets teammates help the club win at least one World Series title. 

The Mets gave Pete Alonso something the Orioles can't

"There’s no greater place to win [than] New York," Strawberry added. "People don’t understand that because they haven’t done it…New York is different. New York people [have] compassion and they’ll stay with you, [but they’ll also] run you out of town if you don’t have any guts. I left town. They didn’t run Pete out of town. He left town. It’s a big difference."

Stearns' dismantling of the Mets' core this offseason made him a villain in the eyes of some paying customers who adored Alonso, outfielder Brandon Nimmo and star closer Edwin Diaz. If such decisions blow up in Stearns' face, it's likely that he and not Alonso will regret not having a conversation about getting a deal done this past fall.