During his annual media scrum on Wednesday, super-agent Scott Boras, who represents Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, said that his team and Alonso are “all ears” on a contract extension to keep the slugger in New York. Boras told a group of reporters that he has “spoken to David (Stearns)” and made his openness to a new deal clear.
Alonso’s status was commented on by Mets’ president of baseball operations, David Stearns, to reporters on Tuesday night at the Winter Meetings. Stearns again affirmed that Alonso will be the Mets’ Opening Day first baseman, telling reporters, “Pete is a really good player, and I expect him to be a Met on Opening Day.”
The slugger is entering the final year of his club control under the Mets and will hit the open market in a loaded 2024 free-agency class. Alonso currently sits in a tie with Howard Johnson for the fourth most homers all-time by a Met and is 60 homers shy of the Mets’ all-time lead. Alonso put up a strong 2023 campaign, clobbering 46 homers and driving in 118, despite posting the lowest full-season OPS mark of his career at .821.
The 2024 first base free agent market will be a deep one, currently slated to feature Alonso, Anthony Rizzo, Christian Walker, Josh Bell, and former MVP Paul Goldschmidt. The Cubs have been the main team reported in on Alonso, but considering the lack of traction and public reports on their efforts to bring in Alonso, and multiple reports contradicting any momentum on Alonso being dealt to the Cubs, one could expect the Mets’ to hang on to their homegrown slugger.
