There are no guarantees about Pete Alonso's Mets future

John Heyman

MLB

by John Heyman

Port Street. Lucy – I have had the pleasure of watching Pete Alonso play baseball for the past five years.

We've enjoyed watching him hit more home runs than anyone else since entering the MLB, significantly improve his defense, consistently play the ball harder and achieve the all-too-rare lunch-pail style that has allowed him to hit 157 plate appearances per year.

Mets fans, go ahead and enjoy Alonso's sixth season as a free agent in Queens because there are no guarantees there will be a seventh season. I'm not living his tenure because this is definitely the end for Alonso. But fans need to prepare.

In other words: enjoy it while it lasts.

There are some vital factors associated with the Mets that could easily keep Alonso in the orange and blue (more on those below). But let's face it, it's certainly a very distinct possibility for Alonso.

On his first day here in Mets camp, Alonso said a lot of nice things about the Mets, their fans and New York. But what he didn't say is that he's excited (my new favorite word in baseball, thanks Aaron Boone) about staying at the Met.

Oh, he had a chance.

Alonso said he definitely “envisions” himself as “dead for life.” But what he didn't say was that he wanted nothing more than to stay forever.

Perhaps he doesn't want to give away his true feelings to help management in any potential long-term negotiations — and, by the way, neither party has initiated anything beyond the one-year, $20.5 million deal they reached to avoid arbitration. he heard. But I don't think this is the only reason.

Even if he didn't say this, maybe he could imagine himself somewhere else as well.

Pete is right when he says he loves New York and loves being dead. But like many stars, he's also long eyed free agency, his old teammates say. Which means, dare I say it, that he can leave.

They say he wants to get what he deserves. They say he doesn't mind looking around, not that there's anything wrong with that.

Alonso said a lot of nice things about the Mets. But what he does is also important.

Alonso switched agents to hire Scott Boras, who is known for maximizing free-agent dollars. And let's face it, even before he signed with Boras, Alonso was on the move from year to year. He showed little interest in a long-term extension.

Of course, Alonso could stay in Queens. I just don't count on it.

There's no reason to believe he won't at least be a free agent, and there's no reason to believe there won't be a lot going for him.

We've heard about the Cubs like Alonso, and we also know that they've done almost nothing to bolster their offense.

The Giants could make sense if he can enjoy a July Garden and pitchers winter.

The Cardinals could succeed, especially if they can't retain their star free agent, Paul Goldschmidt.

The Rangers, Mariners and Phillies could all fit as well.

And yes, so do the Yankees.

Our two teams have been good neighbors. The Mets didn't make a move for Aaron Judge last winter, when they were in spending mode. But Anthony Rizzo's contract is up, and if the Mets make a move for the younger Juan Soto, our other homegrown star, it could lead to the Yankees poaching their crosstown rival in retaliation.

Of course, this is unpredictable.

This can come down to the wire.

This may depend on Steve Cohen.

That shouldn't be a surprise. Let's be real. No matter how much baseball players contribute, and new baseball president David Stearns certainly has as much or more say than most, no one spends more than $200 million without consulting the colleague who owns the money.

Stearns' representative throughout the game is a brilliant, calculating executive whose numbers generally don't favor long deals for players 28 or older. He did his best for the 25-year-old Yoshinobu Yamamoto. who knows? Maybe he likes Soto, 24.

But let's face it, big-market teams really hell-bent on winning (and I think the Mets are, at least in the long term), have to take into account that the vast majority of star free agents are paying 30-year-olds like Pitt, who is 29 years old.

Stearns' brilliant calculations led to Milwaukee's four straight playoff appearances. He made tough choices there (see Josh Hader trade), but in a brief conversation with The Post, Stearns noted that he also realizes there are considerations beyond a birth certificate.

“We evaluate each player as an individual,” Stearns said. “I don't think we're looking at any resume index or preference index that would interest us in any particular player. Every player is an individual, and there's a lot that goes into any evaluation. We certainly recognize what Pete means to our organization and what Pete means to the team.

That's good to hear. But the biggest factor, of course, may be Cohen. He didn't buy the team to be booed from the five boroughs.

Cohen may eventually save the day and spend whatever it takes to retain his local heartthrob Alonso. But there is certainly no guarantee here. As they say, this can go either way.