While the Mets’ decision to trade the likes of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Tommy Pham, and Mark Canha, Dominic Leone, and David Robertson may be what’s best for the team’s long-term future, it was undoubtedly a blow to the morale of the 2023 club.
Ahead of Tuesday night’s loss to the Royals, two of the Mets’ leaders, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor, spoke about their feelings on the Mets’ “retooling” in which they sent out over 20 percent of the big-league roster for future prospects.
Pete Alonso. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Alonso, who is a free agent to be after the 2024 season, told reporters that he remains focused on being the best player he can be and not worrying about what direction the front office chooses to go in.
Pete Alonso on FO’s reset:
“Whatever their vision is, whatever their plan is, it really doesn’t necessarily matter to me because I’m here right now and I want to be the best player I can be right now for as long as I’m here. It could be forever and —— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) August 1, 2023
“… I don’t necessarily know what the future holds. But as long as I’m here, you’re going to get the best from me every single day. You’re going to get my best effort to win ballgames.”
Alonso added that he hasn’t talked to the front office lately.
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) August 1, 2023
Mets’ GM Billy Eppler also spoke about Alonso on Tuesday, noting that the team would be keeping negotiations about a possible extension “behind closed doors.”
With the Mets pivoting in the last 48 hours away from trying to be contenders in the short-term, the focus now shifts heavily in Alonso’s direction. How the Mets choose to move forward with their All-Star first baseman will be a good indication of what their priorities are over the next season-plus.
Meanwhile, another player who will assuredly be here well beyond 2024 is Francisco Lindor, who, along with Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Díaz, Kodai Senga, and Jeff McNeil, make up the Mets’ only significant contracts that extend beyond next season (not counting young players who are still in the arbitration process).
Lindor said that while he signed up to be on a “winning franchise,” he believed the team was doing what they needed to do to build long-term success.
Francisco Lindor on what he called the Mets’ “repositioning”: “I’m on board. … I signed up here to be on a winning franchise, and they’re trying to do what it takes to be a sustainable winning franchise.”
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) August 1, 2023
Lindor and Alonso were unlikely to air any dirty laundry about the front office in public (unlike a certain pitcher that was traded this week), but their responses are still fascinating. Lindor, as someone who is signed through 2031, is likely to be a little more patient waiting for the newfound prospects to pay dividends than Alonso, who is only guaranteed to be here for one more season.
For now, the two Mets’ stars, and the rest of the club will have to stumble their way through the rest of the 2023 season with a limited roster as they await to see what Eppler and Cohen have in store for the offseason.
