Mets slugger Pete Alonso confirms he'll exercise his player option
Pete Alonso walks through the dugout after the Mets lost to the Marlins on Sunday in Miami. Credit: AP/Lynne Sladky
MIAMI — Pete Alonso didn’t want it to end like this, and he willed it not to.
He hit a screaming line drive to left-center with the bases loaded in the Mets’ season-ending loss to the Marlins on Sunday that went for an out. He wore Francisco Lindor’s eye black for luck, even though loanDepot park is a domed stadium. And all those months ago, he came back to Flushing on a two-year deal even though he was looking for a longer contract.
But it might have to end like this — not just the season, but his career as a Met.
After playing his 162nd game of the season, Alonso confirmed that he’ll be exercising his player option, meaning the homegrown Met and the franchise’s home run leader will be a free agent at the conclusion of the season.
“Nothing’s guaranteed, but we’ll see what happens,” he said. “I loved being a Met, so hopefully they appreciated me . . .
“I’ve grown up in this organization and what I’ve done here, I’m really proud of the mark I’ve left. I want to be the best teammate and the best player I possibly can be, not just for the people here but for the franchise and for the fans. So yeah, it’d be great [to come back], but again, let’s see what happens.”
His 264 homers are a Mets record and his 712 career RBIs are third in franchise history. The 126 RBIs he collected this year are tied for second-most in a single Mets season. Who owns the overall record? Also Alonso, with 131 in 2022. He slashed .272/.347/.525 with 38 homers this year.
“I love Pete,” Brandon Nimmo said. “We got to see Pete at his absolute best this year, just absolutely destroying baseballs . . . I’m sure the Mets will be in contact with him this offseason a lot, but if it did happen to be my last [season with him], I’ve enjoyed every second of it.”
It’s unclear how the Mets will approach Alonso after hardballing him during last year’s free agency. For a long time, it looked as if the first baseman was gone, but the two sides finally agreed to a two-year, $54 million deal with the player option. Alonso and agent Scott Boras certainly will be looking for something far heftier.
Alonso said that above all, “I want to win. I know we didn’t this year, but we had the right pieces. I just think that we didn’t do it . . . This is why I do this. I want to be on top of the mountain. I want to win a World Series. For me, that’s the ultimate goal.”
Edwin Diaz also might be gone: The closer has an opt-out but said he’s going to speak with his family before deciding whether to use it.
If Diaz does opt out, he said he would “of course” be open to a reunion. “I love this organization,’’ he said. “They treat me really, really good — my family, everything. If I decide to opt out, I would love to come back.”
Senga ready to ‘rebuild’
Kodai Senga said he has to “rebuild from step one” after losing his mechanics following his midseason hamstring injury.
“My body changed after this injury,” he said via interpreter. He’s going to work on “not reflecting back on ‘my body used to do this or used to do that.’ It’s step one, head into the offseason and come back strong next year.”
Senga, who accepted an assignment to Triple-A earlier this month, struggled with his mechanics and saw a dip in velocity after returning from the injury. He had a 1.47 ERA in 13 games before getting hurt and a 5.90 ERA in nine games upon his return.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
