Kyle Schwarber and the Philadelphia Phillies shocked the MLB landscape after announcing their agreement on a five-year, $150 million extension. Now, former New York Mets star Pete Alonso could draw some inspiration from the latest ludicrous deal in the league. According to reports, the 31-year-old might look to replicate such a contract.
In what’s seemingly become a three-horse race for Alonso between the NY Mets, Boston Red Sox, and Baltimore Orioles, the star power hitter is now making his wish list clear to the rest of MLB.
While reports indicate the Mets may be unwilling to go beyond the three-year mark with Alonso, watching Schwarber sign with the Phillies for five years at a $30 million salary only lit the lamp for him. Now, he has evidence to strengthen his case.
“Given that Schwarber — who is nearly two years older than Alonso and is strictly a designated hitter -— landed a five-year pact, it is believed that Alonso will be seeking a five-year deal, as well, likely in the same range of roughly $30 million per year,” as reported on MLB.com by Mark Feinsand.
Pete Alonso at Citi Field
Mets are in a bit of a pickle
While neither of the three teams on Alonso’s trail want to miss out on the five-time All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner, watching Alonso slip through their fingers would be much painful for the Mets. The organization in Queens now has its head between a rock and a hard place.
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MLB Rumors: NY Mets willing to trade All-Star amid interest in Pete Alonso
President of ball operations David Stearns is facing the most pressure, along with owner Steve Cohen. Stearns had signed Alonso to a two-year, $54 million extension in February. However, less than 12 months later, the star first baseman has opted out of the final year of his contract, effectively becoming an unrestricted free agent in MLB.
Three strikes and you’re out
If New York stands with its arms crossed as Alonso signs with another team, the fanbase in Queens won’t let Stearns and Cohen ever live down what has been a gut-wrenching offseason. In the span of weeks, the Mets might watch three fan favorites exit out the back door of Citi Field: Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Díaz, and potentially Pete Alonso.
They say three’s a crowd, and losing such a star-studded trio would certainly ignite a rowdy outcry from the home crowd. It’s a rule as old as baseball: three strikes and you’re out. Stearns and the brass are now standing at the plate with an 0–2 count—they’d best not be caught looking at the Alonso fastball.
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