Speaking as a fan of the New York Mets, I can say that the past 10-plus months have been the sort of thing you pinch yourself from to make sure that you aren't dreaming. The entire stretch has been happily surreal, from the prominent involvement of Grimace and a Latin pop star/utility infielder to a months-long playoff push that resulted in the Amazins clinching a Wild Card spot in Atlanta a day after the regular season was supposed to end.
A dramatic, ninth-inning, come-from-behind win over the Brewers in a postseason rubber match and a demolition of the hated Phillies in the Divisional Round put last year's Mets alongside some of the greatest, and certainly the most fun, teams in franchise history. Even when the offseason hit, the winning didn't stop, as Steve Cohen and David Stearns were able to hook the biggest fish in the free agent pond, Juan Soto, away from the crosstown Yankees.
I can really only think of one thing from this run that has left a bad taste in my mouth as a Mets fan, and it's the protracted negotiations between the team and Pete Alonso. They say that all's well that ends well, but if the Mets' very public negotiations with the Polar Bear weren't exactly ugly, they were at least unattractive. It wasn't a great look for the team that had just spent a record amount on Soto to pinch pennies with their most likable star, let alone a guy that has been the most consistent power hitter in the game since he first got to the majors in 2019. It was a happy day to be a Mets fan when it was announced that Alonso was coming back, but the fact that it took months for the two sides to finally come to terms on a two-year deal didn't exactly inspire confidence that there was a long-term future ahead.
I understand the business side of the game, and if other teams weren't beating down the door for Alonso's services, it would have made no sense for the Mets to spend more than they needed to keep him in Flushing. At the end of the day, Alonso signed for two years and $54 million, which consists of a $30 million salary this year and a player option for $24 next year. That means that we'll almost certainly be going through the same emotional blender again this winter.
Fifty-four million dollars is more money than any of us will ever see in our lives, so nobody is feeling sorry for Alonso. To his credit, he doesn't seem to be feeling sorry for himself either, because he's gotten off to the best start of his career. We're only 22 games in, but if the season ended today, he'd be the likely National League MVP thanks to his six homers, .346 average and 24 RBIs, all of which rank near the top of the league.
Pete Alonso is killing it for the Mets, but he's also making them wish they handled this offseason differently
There's no way to complain about anything Alonso has done to this point of the season. He's carried an offense that has at times been fairly inept around him, and he's the biggest single reason that the Mets sit atop the NL East and only one game behind the Padres for the best record in the National League at 15-7.
Alonso has twice as many extra-base hits as anyone else on the team, Soto included, and he's getting on base more than 45 percent of the time, a number that is almost definitely unsustainable, but appreciated nonetheless.
Alonso's contributions to the Mets have always gone beyond mere stats, prodigious though they may be. He's been with the Mets his entire career and has always exuded a love for the franchise and its fans. The fans have returned the favor by loving him back. That's why it's so perplexing that he and the Mets couldn't come to an agreement to guarantee that he'd be in Queens for at least a few more years.
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That hesitation to commit is looking like it's going to cost the Mets this offseason. Alonso seems like a lock to opt out, even if he does want to stay in New York, and if he continues anywhere near his current pace, it will take a lot more to keep him than it would have this past winter. Mets fans can at least take solace in the fact that Steve Cohen's checkbook knows no limits. Sometimes in business, you have to learn things the hard way.
New York not signing Alonso long-term will make Mets fans nervous for the next two years
Until Alonso is signed long-term, there's always going to be a worry that he'll end up somewhere other than back with the Mets, improbable though it may seem. That would be a nightmare for Mets fans, but it could also be a nightmare for Cohen and Stearns. Just look at the Dallas Mavericks and the way their entire fanbase has turned on owner Patrick Dumont and general manager Nico Harrison in the wake of the shocking Luka Dončić trade.
Luka was and is beloved by Mavs fans, all of whom fought (many unsuccessfully, I'd imagine) the urge to vomit upon hearing the news that he'd been traded to the Lakers, of all teams. Who could have predicted that after Dallas made the Finals last year? Mets fans will have a similar reaction if Alonso ever ends up in another team's jersey, and I don't even want to think about the terrible way I would feel if he ever played for the Braves or the Yankees.
Cohen is going to have to pay up, and he probably will. Still, this all could have been avoided if he had just gotten it done months ago. Now Alonso's pending opt-out is going to hang over the Mets' season, especially if he keeps performing at an MVPete level. It's not enough to kill the vibes of a fantastic start for both himself and the team, but for a fanbase that is used to the worst-case scenario coming true, it's a reminder that even in good times, disaster is just an offseason away.