Are the New York Mets Really Moving on From Pete Alonso?

Across his first six seasons in Major League Baseball, first baseman Pete Alonso has slugged 226 home runs, the third-most in New York Mets franchise history.

However, after an active offseason that saw the Mets add outfielder Juan Soto, pitchers Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas and reunions with pitcher Sean Manaea and most recently, outfielder Jesse Winker, Alonso’s days in New York appear to be numbered.

Alonso was drafted by New York in 2016 out of the University of Florida and after a huge 2018 minor league campaign, he found himself on the Opening Day roster the following spring.

The “Polar Bear” hit the ground running, slugging 53 home runs — a new record for first-year players — claiming National League Rookie of the Year honors.

He continued to mash over his next five seasons, averaging 35 home runs a season from 2020 to 2024 (including a 60-game sample in 2020). His 2024 season was arguably his worst, as he posted a career-low .788 OPS but still hit 34 long balls and drove in 88 runs helping the the Mets on their run to the NLCS. To put it simply, Alonso’s floor would be many players career-year.

After many months of rumors, speculation and reports of various levels of interest between the two parties, it was reported on Thursday that the Mets may be exploring the reality of a “post-Alonso” world.

The Mets have pivoted to plan B, post-Alonso. They now consider it the most likely outcome that Alonso will sign elsewhere. They add Winker and will add a reliever, possibly a top one.

— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) January 16, 2025

Just minutes before Martino’s Alonso report, he broke the news of Winker re-signing with the team on a one-year, $7.5 million deal.

In a later tweet, Martino said that the Mets would approach the potential of Alonso leaving similarly to the Yankees’ backup plan after losing Soto. President of Baseball Operation David Stearns has long preached his urge to build young, athletic, and defensively versatile teams.

While Alonso’s departure is seemingly imminent, it will give Stearns the opportunity to build to his desired traits.

Winker is the first step, as he was a key piece in the Mets playoff run in 2024. Acquired from the Nationals at the trade deadline, the outfielder did not live up to his expectations in the regular season.

After a resurgent first half in Washington, which saw him hit .257 with 11 home runs at a .793 OPS, Winker struggled after donning the orange and blue, as his OPS fell to .683 with just three bombs.

His postseason definitely left a better taste in the mouths of Mets fans as he slashed .318/.531/.636 with a home run, four RBI’s, and seven walks. He profiles as a designated hitter, only playing the outfield in emergency scenarios, but his bat will certainly play in a part-time role for the Mets.

Starling Marte is still with the club as well, giving the Mets a right-handed complement to Winker in what could become a solid DH platoon.

Aside from Winker, what other options do the Mets have to fill Alonso’s void?

Remaining Free Agents

Throughout the offseason, the Mets have been linked to various available offensive players across the market. Christian Walker was seen as a worthy fallback to Alonso before signing a three-year pact with Houston in December.

The remaining options at first base are few and far between as outside of Alonso, the next highest player by 2024 wins above replacement is 40-year-old former-Met Justin Turner.

An avenue of pursuing a Turner-type player, which also includes Connor Joe, Anthony Rizzo or Joey Gallo would give the Mets a guaranteed veteran presence at first base, and would more than certainly allow them the option to take another stab at a big-fish-free agent next offseason.

To explore bigger name guys right now, would require some roster creativity. The easiest option is third baseman Alex Bregman, who still finds himself unsigned. A potential acquisition of Bregman would move current third baseman Mark Vientos across the diamond and would drastically improve the Mets infield defense.

The problem with signing Bregman however is that he too is represented by Scott Boras. Stalled talks with Boras led to what looks like a breakup with Alonso. Falling back with another one of his clients would seem to be rather unlikely. This takes Jurickson Profar off the board as well.

Another option for the orange and blue could be outfielder Anthony Santander. This is another scenario that would involve roster flexibility as Santander could slide into the every day DH role, or log time in an already crowded Mets outfield.

Santander did play a single inning at first base in 2024 for the Orioles, so if the Mets were to get creative positionally, that could be an outside option.

The exciting part about Santander is his bat, as the Venezuelan switch-hitter is coming off three consecutive seasons of 28 or more home runs, including a 44-homer barrage in 2024.

He is not a flawless hitter, despite high power outputs, as his OPS has hovered around the .800 mark over the past three seasons and he owns a laughably low .307 career on-base percentage.

As he enters his age-30 season, Santander figures to get a contract in the three to five-year range with a financial commitment likely much less than that of Bregman.

Ultimately the most likely option is that Mark Vientos is going to slide over and play first base, Winker will platoon with Marte at DH, and third base will become an open competition for some of the Mets’ young players who have yet to break out at the big league level.

Do the Mets Have Enough In-House?

According to reports by SNY’s Andy Martino, and others, the Mets plan B post-Alonso is moving Vientos over to first base and filling third base with some combination of Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuna and Ronny Mauricio.

All three players were once top prospects, in Acuna’s case he still is one, and they are all looking to break through at the big league level.

Baty proved last season that he could hold down third base defensively, and would be a marked upgrade over Vientos in that regard, but the bat just hasn’t been there.

Across three seasons and 169 games played, Baty is a career .215/.282/.325 hitter, with a paltry .607 OPS. Acuna and Mauricio have combined to play 40 games at the big league level.

These options do not inspire a ton of confidence offensively, but the Mets can hope that the addition of Juan Soto will be enough of an improvement, and they will focus on being a better defensive team.

A reunion with Jose Iglesias could further shore up third base for the Mets, but at this time they seem to be more focused on a youth movement.

Is Pete Alonso Really Gone?

Until Pete Alonso puts pen to paper on a deal with another team, there is always a chance these sides get back to the table and get a deal done.

The moves from today seem to be a reaction to what the Mets front office likely believes to be unrealistic contract demands from Alonso and his agent Scott Boras. The market for Alonso has clearly been lacking, and the Mets may feel that they have no need to bid against themselves.

If a deadline was truly set, as was suggested by the New York Post yesterday, the Mets pivoting today shows that they meant business when they said that they wanted a decision from Alonso sooner rather than later.

With no decision made by Alonso/Boras, the Mets are taking the public stance that they are moving on, but if you read closely into Martino’s words, they have not shut the door on Pete entirely.

“They consider it the most likely outcome that Alonso will sign elsewhere.”

That does not say they will not re-sign Alonso. Whatever offer the Mets have had on the table to Alonso may still be there if he chose to accept it without another leg to stand on.

The question now is if there is a market for Alonso elsewhere, and also if he is willing to come back after these negotiations have gotten ugly.

For now, though, the Mets plan at first base appears to be Mark Vientos, with third base looking like a real question mark heading into the much-anticipated season.