MLB fans react to the possible projected contract extension for Pete Alonso at the end of the 2023 season

After the Mets extended Jeff McNeil's contract, it was widely assumed that Pete Alonso's would be extended as well.

The 28-year-old slugging first baseman is still under team control through the 2024 season. He is nearing the pinnacle of his career as one of baseball's best power hitters and a key player for the Mets under Steve Cohen.

Pete Alonso is the only Mets batter in history to have two seasons with at least 40 home runs and 120 RBI. He has emerged as a brand-new breed of native power hitter. The first baseman has hit 146 home runs and driven in 380 runs since making his debut in 2019.

With Jon Morosi reporting that Alonso's contract extension is about to be finalized, fans on Twitter sent in a flurry of reactions to the news. Here are some of the best tweets:

Let's take a closer look at his value to this lineup, in addition to the fact that he is one of the league's top power threats.

In 2022, the Mets' offense generated the third-highest wRC+ in MLB. The midfield hits by Lindor and Alonso contributed significantly to that. Alonso stands out as the most valuable player in manager Buck Showalter's team.

Pete Alonso will be of paramount importance to the Mets

The value of Pete Alonso's performance (11.9 fWAR) is $95.1 million in total. This covers three years in which revenue exceeded $25 million (2019, 2021, and 2022).

During this time, the Polar Bear has made slightly under $9 million in revenue, the majority of which ($7.4 million) came from last season. The fact that the Mets agreed to pay this player $14.5 million in 2023, an arbitration record for first basemen, shows that they also realize they must do so.

Those figures appear high, but Alonso is a likable indigenous athlete who possesses outstanding power. An extension of 8–10 years for more than $200 million is likely.

Based on how the Mets have handled some larger contracts (like Brandon Nimmo's), they might want a longer-term deal to reduce the burden of the luxury tax.

Think about this if you disagree with the argument that New York can easily get top talent through free agency. Although Shohei Ohtani will be a worthy target, reaching an agreement will be difficult.

Players like Juan Soto and Manny Machado might also be choices, but they'll be in great demand.

About the author

Karan has been a baseball sports betting expert, analyst and content strategist at Sportskeeda since 2022. He holds a Master's degree in Sports Management from Virginia Commonwealth University, and worked with the VCU Rams baseball team as a trackman analyst. He started following the sport at 18, watching postseason on television.

Karan is a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers owing to their successful history in the sport, and their consistent performances at the highest level. He admires Mookie Betts’ on-field defensive and offensive prowess, along with his off-field charitable exploits, while Bruce Bochy is his favorite coach.

The Mets’ miraculous rally from a two-run deficit in the 1986 World Series Game 6 in the bottom of the 10th inning despite being two outs and two strikes down is his all-time favorite baseball moment.

Karan’s strengths are player profiling and technical deep dives, for which he always refers to reliable sources such as the social media handles of the best MLB analysts.

When not strategizing, he likes to read, listen to music, go for a run, and watch sit-coms.

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MLB fans react to the possible projected contract extension for Pete Alonso at the end of the 2023 season - "Sounds about right"

Pete Alonso will be of paramount importance to the Mets