Stearns: Alonso will 'most likely' test free agency
New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns believes star first baseman Pete Alonso will likely test the open market after the 2024 season.
"I think that's probably the most likely outcome," Stearns said Monday when asked if he anticipated not discussing a long-term extension with the three-time All-Star until next offseason, according to SNY. "We aren't going to get into the specifics of any particular negotiation. ... When you have a really talented player who's really good, entering his final year of club control, and happens to be represented by Scott Boras, these things generally end up in free agency."
Alonso will make $20.5 million this season during his last year of arbitration eligibility in his age-29 campaign. He hired Boras, who has a reputation for taking stars into free agency, last October.
The 2019 NL Rookie of the Year went deep 46 times with 118 RBIs and an .821 OPS across 154 games in 2023. He also hit 40 homers and collected an MLB-high 131 RBIs in 2022.
Alonso's 192 round-trippers over the last five years are the highest total in baseball. He also owns a career .251/.342/.528 slash line.