Barring a surprising turn of events or a major concession on Pete Alonso's part, USA Today's Bob Nightengale made it seem like the slugging first baseman has played his last game with the New York Mets.
"David Stearns, Mets president of baseball operations, was ready to let Alonso walk last year. Alonso had a monster year but they still missed the playoffs, making it easier to walk away now. They are preaching defense or in the words of Stearns, “run prevention," and are expected to let him depart unless he signs a deal they can’t turn down," Nightengale wrote.
This stance isn't overly shocking. Changes must be made in Queens following a wildly disappointing 2025 campaign, and after last offseason's negotiations with the Mets and Alonso dragged into February, it's abundantly clear that the team has no interest in giving the 30-year-old a long-term commitment, especially given the fact that Alonso is a subpar defender. It's unclear whether any team would be willing to meet what is understandably a gaudy asking price, but the odds of that happening are certainly higher than they were last winter.
Refusing to give a first baseman on the wrong side of 30 a long-term deal makes a lot of sense, but letting him go would leave a gaping hole in New York's lineup. Alonso put together arguably the most complete offensive season of his career, as he set career highs with a .272 average and 41 doubles while also launching 38 home runs and driving in 126 runs. Letting Alonso walk is only forgivable if David Stearns is willing to make other big moves, putting the Mets in position to win the NL East for the first time since 2015. Any of these six moves would make a lot of sense.
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Gain more flexibility by signing Cody Bellinger
There's no disputing that Alonso is one of the game's premier power hitters and run producers, but he's also a limited player. He's only a first baseman (and a subpar one at that), and a poor base runner. Cody Bellinger might not have Alonso's offensive ceiling, but he's a far more well-rounded player who can also offer the Mets some flexibility.
Bellinger slashed .272/.334/.480 with 29 home runs and 98 RBI in 2025 with the New York Yankees. Those aren't quite Alonso numbers, but he still performed at a star level while adding a lot more defensive value and posting a strikeout rate (13.9 percent) nearly 10 percent below Alonso's (22.8 percent). There's a reason that Bellinger's fWAR (4.9) was substantially higher than Alonso's (3.6), even with Alonso having a better bat.
Bellinger can be Alonso's replacement at first base, but he can also play center field until top prospect Carson Benge is ready. He isn't the defender he once was in center field, but he isn't the worst defender in the world there, and is still quite good in the corner outfield spots if needed. Again, Bellinger won't be Alonso offensively, but he's still a very good hitter who's far better in the field and on the base paths. This wouldn't be the worst pivot in the world.
Sign Josh Naylor while spending saved money on pitching
With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. off the board, Alonso and Josh Naylor are the best first basemen available. Alonso should be considered the best because of his offensive prowess, but as is the case with Bellinger, Naylor is no slouch at the plate while being more of a well-rounded player.
Naylor slashed .295/.353/.462 with 20 home runs and 92 RBI for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners this past season. He doesn't have Alonso's power, but he's hit at least 20 home runs in three of his last four years while adding much more defensive value and even finding a way to steal bases in 2025. Yes, Naylor, a player who is actually slower than Alonso, stole 30 bases in 32 tries in the regular season.
Naylor might be more well-rounded, but again, he isn't the run producer Alonso is, and almost certainly won't make as much as Alonso will on the open market. Given that, can the Mets spend on Naylor and improve either the rotation or the bullpen with the money saved?
Improve the defense by signing Alex Bregman
David Stearns made it clear that the Mets plan on improving team defense. Letting Alonso walk and replacing him with an elite defender like Alex Bregman to play third base makes a lot of sense. Bregman won a Gold Glove award in 2024, and while he wasn't quite as good defensively in 2025, he still ranked in the 83rd percentile in outs above average per Baseball Savant.
Adding Bregman would give the Mets one of the best defensive left sides of the infield in the game with Francisco Lindor as their shortstop, and he'd also represent a clear offensive upgrade over Brett Baty. The 31-year-old slashed .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs and 62 RBI with the Boston Red Sox this past season.
Bregman, much like the others, will not produce like Alonso with the bat, but he gets on base more, is a better base runner, and a far better defender at a more valuable position. If the Mets want to focus on defense over offense, Bregman is a way to do that without completely sacrificing offense.
Re-sign Edwin Diaz to close games
Paying a power-hitting first baseman on the wrong side of 30 in a long-term commitment might not be the wisest investment, and the same can be said about paying a 32-year-old closer. With that being said, Alonso is one of the best in the game at his position, and the same can be said about Diaz in his. The Mets might be too unwilling to re-sign Alonso, but are they willing to get uncomfortable to re-sign Diaz?
It feels like a must. I mean, the bullpen was a major weakness for much of the season, even with Diaz performing at an All-Star level. Diaz had a 1.63 ERA in 62 appearances this season, and his ERA after April was below 1.00.
Even if the Mets are able to sign a guy like Robert Suarez or Raisel Iglesias, it's hard to feel as comfortable with the bullpen if Diaz is wearing another uniform. Re-signing Alonso and letting Diaz walk would ease some of the pain, but letting both of them go feels like a disastrous decision.
Give the rotation the ace it desperately needs
If the Mets are willing to let their offense-first slugger walk in free agency, improving their run prevention with the money that would've otherwise gone to Alonso would be wise. This can mean improving the defense but also the pitching staff.
David Stearns has historically been reluctant to pay frontline starters, even with Steve Cohen's money, but considering New York's clear need at the top of the rotation, signing or trading for an ace makes too much sense.
Guys like Dylan Cease and Framber Valdez headline the free agency pool of starters, and Tarik Skubal should be the Mets' white whale on the trade market if the Detroit Tigers make him available. Letting Alonso walk becomes much easier if the rotation transforms from a weakness to a strength.
Improve the offense by signing Kyle Schwarber
It'd be very hard to let a bat of Alonso's caliber walk and have the offense be as good as it was in 2025, but signing Kyle Schwarber would make the lineup even better. Alonso is obviously a great hitter, but Schwarber is probably going to be the NL MVP runner-up. There are levels to this.
Schwarber slashed .240/.365/.563 with 56 home runs and 132 RBI in 2025. He might not hit for as high an average as Alonso and strikes out a bit more, but he also provides more power than Pete while also getting on base more. He might only be a DH at this stage of his career, but it's not as if Alonso adds any defensive value. Signing him to be a DH makes sense for a team that doesn't have one locked in.
The question with Schwarber is whether the Mets would be willing to give him a long-term deal when they aren't willing to give one to Alonso. Schwarber is two years older than Alonso and only a DH, so there are reasons to believe the answer to that question is no, but the fact that he'd be a clear offensive upgrade might change that.