This winter has been a mixture of long- and short-term planning for the Mets. Throughout the offseason, the membership has made clear its intent to win now whereas additionally working towards changing into a sustainable winner.
The subsequent step the Mets can take towards that long-term aim is to increase Pete Alonso, their homegrown first base star.
Alonso and the Mets agreed on a one-year, $14.5 million contract for 2023 to keep away from arbitration on Friday. It was the biggest contract awarded to a primary baseman in an arbitration negotiation and one thing that felt surreal to the two-time Home Run Derby champ.
“It was really special,” Alonso informed reporters in Tampa over the weekend at a youth dwelling run derby occasion that benefitted the Alonso Foundation. “As a young kid, thinking back on it, I never thought that that would be a possibility. I mean, it was a dream. As a young kid, you just want to get [to the major leagues], and then once things start to become more of a reality, then it’s like ‘OK, this is real. This is real.’”
Alonso has another arbitration yr earlier than changing into a free agent, however the Mets might get rid of the opportunity of free company in two years by understanding a multi-year contract extension. “Polar Bear Pete” is integral to the membership’s success on the sector and he’s one of the vital in style gamers off of it. The 2019 NL Rookie of the Year is a franchise cornerstone along with his constant offensive manufacturing and his passionate taking part in type has endeared him to followers.
The 28-year-old two-time All-Star led the Mets with 40 dwelling runs final season. This shouldn’t be an insignificant quantity, contemplating the lineup didn’t characteristic a ton of home-run hitters. He quietly made a case for the NL MVP Award and he obtained votes, ending eighth. Alonso posted a .896 OPS and a 146 OPS+ whereas taking part in stable protection at first base.
He’s additionally confirmed sturdy, lacking solely two video games in 2022, 10 the yr earlier than and just one throughout his rookie season in 2019.
His help of 9/11 responders has not gone unnoticed within the Tampa native’s adopted dwelling of New York City. He’s spoken out towards bullying by opening up about his personal experiences. And whereas the exuberant positivity has generally been questioned (telling followers to “smile” as a result of they get to observe baseball when the staff was slipping out of playoff rivalry in 2021 didn’t go over nicely), nobody questions whether or not or not it’s real.
It’s not out of the realm of risk that Alonso might probably be thought of for the captaincy, a title that no Mets participant has held since David Wright retired on the conclusion of the 2018 season. But to ensure that that to occur, he’ll should be round to see a captaincy by.
For the Mets, it’s a slam dunk. Alonso is a franchise cornerstone they’ll proceed to construct round. And whereas the membership could be high quality with spending unprecedented cash in an effort to be aggressive for the following few seasons, the payroll numbers will begin to go down because the prospect pipeline begins to supply low cost expertise. Getting his wage figures settled will assist with the longer term payroll planning efforts and assist the Mets work out finally get again beneath the CBT threshold.
It’s uncommon that gamers spend their whole careers with the identical group. It’s particularly uncommon for superstars. Fans had been hoping ace Jacob deGrom could be one of many few superstars to put on the identical uniform all through his whole profession and had been heartbroken when left for the Texas Rangers in December, however had been heartened when outfielder Brandon Nimmo mentioned he signed an eight-year contract in an effort to stay a Met for all times.
Alonso wouldn’t say whether or not or not he has had talks with the Mets about an extension, saying his agent would have a greater reply. But he did clarify his want to win a World Series with the Mets, and the membership’s want to win a number of championships.
“I feel like that we’re on the brink of something extremely special,” Alonso mentioned. “I know that we don’t just want to win one — we want to win multiple championships.”
It’s about time to begin speaking about an extension and one of many subsequent logical steps for the Mets of their quest to construct a perennial contender.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com
