Pete Alonso’s MVP First Half Puts Contract in Focus… Again
With Pete Alonso closing in on franchise HR record, one has to wonder if the Mets should talk long term deal with slugger.
DENVER, COLORADO – JUNE 8: Pete Alonso #20 of the New York Mets celebrates his eighth inning two-run home run against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 8, 2025 in Denver, Colorado.
(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso has been on an MVP tear through the first half of the 2025 season.
He leads Major League Baseball in RBIs with 61; he is tied for eighth in the league in home runs with 17; is ranked fifth in the league in OPS (1.000); 10th in hits with 75, and 16th in average at .301.
As Mets Hall of Famer and broadcaster Keith Hernandez pointed out on Sunday, if Alonso keeps this up, he is in line for an "MVP season." And that is most certainly the case.
Alsono is having the bounce-back year of bounce-back years in 2025. He's on pace to crush over 40 homers, perhaps drive in 140 or more runs, and if he hits around .300, he damn well could earn MVP honors. Not to mention, he has carried the Mets to first place in a year where the $765 million man, Juan Soto, has struggled to adjust to his new digs in Queens.
With a season like this, it is almost a certainty that Alonso is going to opt out of his 2026 contract for $24 million.
And one has to wonder, with an opt-out sitting on the table come the end of the season, should the Mets just go right ahead and seriously consider and discuss a long-term deal before seasons end?
Granted, it's June. There are 96 more games to play in the 2025 regular season, and who knows how the postseason will turn out?
Even at 42-24, the Mets have enough issues that need to be addressed in the immediate future: They need another starting pitcher; they need bullpen help, particularly in the back end for the 7th and 8th innings. They could use another bat in the lineup to alleviate pressure off Alonso and Soto.
There is work to be done if the Mets are going to contend for, and possibly win a World Championship THIS year.
But it doesn't take much to do a little forward thinking and wonder what the Mets could do to lock up one of the most valuable players in franchise history.
Alonso hit two home runs on Sunday against Colorado as he passed David Wright for second all-time in franchise home runs with 243 bombs. Alonso needs just nine more to tie Darryl Strawberry's franchise record of 252. He is also eight RBI away from tying Mike Piazza for third third-most RBI by a player in franchise history.
Does Steve Cohen and company really want to risk losing an all-time player to free agency next winter?
It's not like the other options are that great. Ryan Clifford, whom the Mets acquired in the Justin Verlander trade two years ago, is ranked fifth among top Mets prospects. He has 10 homers and 33 RBI this season, but he is hitting only .227 in Double-A. Do the Mets feel he can replace Alonso in 2026?
On the free agent market, outside of 28-year-old Josh Naylor or 34-year-old Max Muncy, there isn't a lot to get excited about in first basemen.
Want to take a flyer on a 38-year-old Paul Goldschmidt who has done well for the Yankees this year? How about a reunion with Mark Canha, or Dom Smith, or Wilmer Flores?
In other words, Pete Alonso is option A, B, and C for the New York Mets at first. He will likely command a deal north of $30 million, but nobody should expect the Mets to offer the kind of deal Toronto gave Vlad Guerrero Jr. at the end of Spring Training, which was $500 million over 14 years.
Only Soto, Francisco Lindor, Jeff McNei,l and Brandon Nimmo are position players signed through at least next season. Most others are either hitting arbitration, free agency, or are facing options.
If the Mets can find a framework that works for them for the next say four years (at least), both sides should explore it before this MVP season becomes a launching pad to Pete Alonso in another uniform.
