Was this the end of Pete Alonso’s tenure with the Mets?

Was this the end of Pete Alonso's tenure with the Mets?

LOS ANGELES — In the final days of the regular season, and often times during this postseason run, Pete Alonso could wave his bat like a baton and conjure up another Mets game — another game in which he would pitch for the Mets.

On Sunday, all the magic was gone, and his future became the amazing present.

After Alonso survived the double header in Atlanta; He survived elimination in Game 3 in Milwaukee, where a ninth-inning, three-run home run turned the Mets from losers into winners; Escaping a potential elimination game at Citi Field on Friday, he finally found what could be his final game as a Met with a 10-5, NLCS- and season-ending loss at Dodger Stadium.

Pete Alonso reacts during the Mets’ loss to the Dodgers on October 20, 2024. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

“I love being a New York Met. I love representing New York City. I love representing Queens,” Alonso said amid a big hug. “That was really special.”

Alonso’s potential farewell included a pair of singles and a walk, and he reached base in three of five plate appearances.

Now the Mets can go home, and Alonso will hit what will be a fantastic free agency.

A second-round pick in 2016, Alonso was a lifelong darling.

He cracked the Opening Day roster in 2019 and hasn’t really stopped hitting since, including a 53-homer rookie season and a pair of Home Run Derby crowns.

Since Alonso entered the major leagues, only Aaron Judge has hit more home runs.

“I love this team. I love this organization. This fanbase has treated not only me, but my family very well,” Alonso said. “Right now, I’m just thinking about the group. Obviously we’ll see what happens. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. But I love New York. …The memories we made here are so amazing.” That’s why we play baseball.”

There are both on-field and emotional reasons for the Mets to explore every avenue to lock up the slugger, who brings rare power and whose 226 at-bats rank third all-time in franchise history.

A return would almost certainly mean Darrell Strawberry’s record of 252 would fall.

Providing insights into all things Amazin

Sign up for Inside the Mets by Mike Puma, exclusively on Sports+

Thank you

Alonso is a club captain who leads with actions and words, the kind who might lend a racket and might lead a comedy routine on the team bus.

“Pete has done a lot for this organization since the beginning,” said Brandon Nimmo, who tested free agency but returned to the Mets on a long-term deal. “He means a lot to this fan base and this team. I would love to see him back here, but also through this process, I understand that this is a business.”

There are concerns about how the lumbering first baseman, who turns 30 in December, will age.

Pete Alonso is now a free agent. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Alonso had a great postseason but a fairly subpar regular season by his own standards, with 34 home runs, a .240 average and a career-worst .788 OPS.

Was this a down season or was this the beginning of a downward slope?

If the Mets allow Alonso to walk, they could look externally for a replacement, possibly asking third baseman Mark Ventus to travel across the diamond.

There are questions that Alonso and the Mets front office need to answer, and they are questions for another day. On this day, Alonso wanted to think about the Mets’ 2024 championship.

“We say it all the time, this place is a zoo, but it’s true,” Alonso said. “Just this weird group of guys who got together, bonded together, and went through a lot. One of our second basemen is a billboard, a best-selling artist.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *