Pete Alonso refuses to let unsettled future with Mets disrupt focus ahead of 2024

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Pete Alonso's impending free agency loomed like a cloud over the All-Star first baseman's first day at Mets spring training on Saturday afternoon.

Alonso inked a one-year, $20.5 million deal in his final turn through arbitration as he enters his sixth season with the Mets, but he said that any terms of a long-term contract stopped there.

"The only contract matters that we talked about were my one-year contract this year," Alonso said. "And again, I'm very happy that I'm back with this group. Yeah, I'm stoked. I'm stoked to get this year going, and it's an exciting time in spring."

So as spring camp begins, Alonso's future continues to be murky beyond 2024 despite his ever-effusive praise for the organization and the fans of New York. There's a chance that this could be his last turn through Clover Park.

Pete Alonso's unsettled future

Alonso's shift in representation to the Boras Corporation after last season — a decision Alonso said was best for him and his family — has new president of baseball operations David Stearns believing that the long play will be necessary to hold on to arguably the best homegrown Mets players of this generation.

"When you have a really talented player who's really good, who's entering his final year of club control, who happens to be represented by Scott Boras, these things generally end up into free agency," Stearns said Monday. "And we understand that."

Unlike Francisco Lindor, who was willing to curb negotiations during the season before locking in a 10-year, $341 million deal on the eve of the 2021 season, Alonso would welcome discussions beyond Opening Day.

But the 29-year-old three-time All-Star's focus Saturday turned toward the diamond rather than the negotiating table.

"For me, there's no real standard, I guess," Alonso said. "There's no pressure. I'm just here sitting back and listening. I can't reiterate this enough, like my whole focus of this spring training is to get prepared so I can be the best version of myself in the season."

A familiar situation

Alonso continued to voice his affinity for putting on the Mets uniform every day and refuses to deal in hypotheticals about being dealt at the trade deadline for a failing team or thinking about free agency in the fall.

"I definitely have envisioned myself being a lifelong Met. That’s something that I've definitely thought about. I love New York," Alonso said. "It's a really special place for my family and I. I've definitely thought of the idea. I’ve definitely welcomed the idea, but I can't predict the future. And for me, I just want to focus on the season."

It's a situation that Mets manager Carlos Mendoza has seen play out firsthand as the Yankees bench coach before switching boroughs. The Yankees' Aaron Judge bet on himself, turning down an eight-year, $230.5 million offer ahead of the 2022 season, before banging an American League record 62 home runs and locking down a nine-year, $360 million deal going into last season.

Now, although the contract conversations have not been the same, Alonso, who was drafted by the Mets in 2016, has an opportunity to earn his keep, and the team would benefit from that strong performance.

"Guys that came up through their systems and got to the big leagues and they've been performing on the biggest stage there is in sports — there's no difference," Mendoza said. "With Pete, he came up through the system, got to the big leagues and he's been one of the best players in the league for years now. The biggest advice is be yourself, don't try to do too much and just continue to have fun."

Looking ahead to 2024

As the Mets stumbled to a 75-win season in 2023, Alonso continued to assert himself as one of the best power hitters in Major League Baseball. He notched his second straight 40-home run, 100-RBI season, with 46 blasts and 118 RBI.

However, Alonso's .217 batting average was the lowest of his career, and he is looking to home in on the strike zone and improve on a 27.4% chase rate. Alonso's 151 strikeouts were the second-most in his career, behind his rookie season.

"I thought that I did a really good job of hitting fastballs in the zone, but one thing I didn't do a good job of is my chase rate," Alonso said. "My chase rate was higher than I'd like it to be. I know I didn't necessarily strike out as much as I have in the past, but I definitely want to cut down on chase, maximize damage in the zone and just overall consistency."

Alonso is looking forward to teaming up with former Florida teammate Harrison Bader this upcoming season and learning what makes Mendoza tick during competition. The new Mets manager visited both Alonso and Bader during an offseason workout.

But for Alonso, the team's success will be dictated by the cohesiveness of the Mets clubhouse.

"There's a lot to be happy and proud of that happened last year and then build upon," Alonso said. "I know the record didn't necessarily say it, but we had a ton of really excellent individual performances, and I feel like if we can string all of those individual performances together and as a collective group, it's going to be really productive for us in the win column during the season."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Pete Alonso has no long-term contract talks with team