In the twilight of Sunday night, more than an hour after the Mets’ 2023 season had come to an end, Pete Alonso was still in full uniform just outside New York’s home dugout, taking a picture with his wife.
Alonso has been the face of the Mets’ franchise seemingly from his debut on Opening Day in 2019. But with his future as in doubt as ever before, new president of baseball operations David Stearns said Monday said he expects Alonso to remain with the Mets for 2024.
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Amid Mets’ repositioning, where does Pete Alonso fit in?
“I expect Pete to be the Mets’ Opening Day first baseman next year,” Stearns said.
Alonso’s future is in doubt because he will become a free agent following the 2024 season and because the Mets listened on trade offers for the first baseman at the trade deadline, including from Stearns’ old team in Milwaukee. (Stearns said he was not involved in any of those conversations this past summer in his role as an advisor.) With the Mets eyeing 2025 and 2026 as their best chances to contend in the near future, dealing Alonso away for talent that better fits their timeline could make sense.
On the other hand, Alonso would be extremely difficult to replace. He leads all of baseball in home runs since his debut in 2019, and he just polished off the…
