Mets free agent Pete Alonso's willingness to DH makes him more attractive to club, others
Mets’ Pete Alonso singles against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field on Sept. 21. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
LAS VEGAS — Pete Alonso appears open to compromise, and that makes him more valuable to the Mets . . . and to other teams, too.
Though Alonso hasn’t wavered in his desire for a long-term deal, agent Scott Boras indicated Wednesday that the first baseman is at least open to occasionally being slotted in as a designated hitter.
“Pete at this point in his career is about winning,” Boras said when asked if Alonso would be willing to DH. “I have had that question a lot.”
Added the alliteratively inclined agent: “There’s no doubt Pete’s pursuers are primed to pay the power piper. Pete picked a perfect period to play preeminently at a primary position, a playoff parched plethora will pounce to participate in the polar plunge.”
A few hours later, Stearns, also speaking at MLB’s GM meetings, acknowledged that this was an added chip in Alonso’s favor.
“Pete’s clearly a really good offensive player,” Stearns said. “For any team, the ability to get his bat in the lineup in multiple ways is helpful and it’s great to know that Pete is open to stuff like that.”
Alonso’s bat, which earned him NL Silver Slugger honors, is elite, but he regressed defensively last season, meaning the option to DH him gives the Mets more flexibility, especially as they continue their focus on run prevention. As he gets older, stashing him in that role is likely to save the wear and tear on his body. Stearns said he didn’t hold a firm philosophy on having a full-time DH versus using it as a platoon role.
Boras, meanwhile, continued to underline Alonso’s durability — he played all 162 games last season — and his willingness to adapt to changes, both in the game and with his body as he enters his Age 31 season. That element hasn’t been lost on the front-office officials he’s spoken to during the course of these meetings, he said.
“The focus on Pete is, they all talk about the fact, his durability,” Boras said. “He’s a guy that really has nature about him where it’s just his duty, no matter how he feels or what he does to be on the field. And when you are in rooms for a couple of days with teams, it’s funny with all of the elements, what they say is you know Pete possesses a pachyderm-like perseverance.”
After noting what Alonso means to the fanbase — “it’s clear that the New York fans relate to someone who is workmanlike” — Boras was asked if he felt the Mets’ front office felt a similar appreciation.
“I have met with David and Steve (Cohen) and they’re just really excited about the year Pete had,” Boras said. “The guy is such a worker. He made biomechanical adjustments from ’24 to ’25, which proved to be highly rewarding for him. The metrics that most teams look at were (greatly) improved, so he really understands how to consistently take a bat and perform, and I think that is a credit to him for all of his work in the offseason to achieve that.”
Alonso showed significant improvement from a sub-standard 2024, batting .272 with 38 homers, a team-high 126 RBIs — something he attributed to his offseason work.
“The mechanics in past years weren’t necessarily as clean — there was a lot of wasted movement,” Alonso said earlier this year. “For me, (the key) definitely has been being more prepared, being more self-aware of myself and my swing and my ability. I definitely think that’s the maturation process in the big leagues.”
Taylor likely to return
Even as the Mets look for a more permanent solution at centerfield, it does appear that they intend to tender Tyrone Taylor a contract. “We’d love to have a plus defender out there,” Stearns said. “I think Tyrone Taylor is a plus defender, so that’s a good start to have him under control right now.”
Stearns added that he believes both Brandon Nimmo and Juan Soto, who had defensively subpar years, can improve. “The first thing is the recognition that it’s just as important as offense,” he said. “Step one is ensuring that we all understand how important the other side of the ball is. Step two is, I think we’re very excited about the coaching staff we’re putting together to help our players get better defensively.”
Bullpen under construction
Long relief will be one of the Mets’ priorities this offseason. “Especially after the trade deadline, we got to the point where we had a lot of one-inning relievers in our pen, and you can do that for a short period of time, but when you combine that with a lack of length out of the starters, which is what we had, especially in the month of August, it taxes you,” Stearns said. “Having some multi-inning flexibility out of the pen is going to be important for us.”
Notes & quotes: Ronny Mauricio, Luisangel Acuna and possibly Huascar Brazoban are all playing Winter Ball, despite Mauricio tearing his ACL in 2024. “We also can’t let a somewhat freak injury prevent us from doing what’s likely best for the player and his future,” Stearns said. Stearns added that though Mauricio had limited playing time last year, the Mets kept him with the big-league club because the injury cost him a year of development, and a demotion would have burned his final option before the 2026 season . . . Though not a strong defender, Mark Vientos will play as long as he can hit, Stearns said. “I think Mark’s playing time is and always will be driven by his bat,” Stearns said. “He’ll go and his playing time will go how his bat goes.”
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
