2023 has been a season that Pete Alonso and the New York Mets fans want to forget. Even after Alonso ripped his 40th home run of the season, MLB Twitter was very quick to remind Alonso that his team continues to occupy the last spot in their division.
After billionaire Steve Cohen bought the team in 2020, an air of complacency began to billow out of the Mets clubhouse. The team even inked Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer to the largest contracts in history, only to deal both at the trade deadline.
"Pete Alonso cranks homer No. 40!" - MLB
In the third inning of his team's series finale against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, Alonso took pitcher Trent Thornton 397 feet to right field to record his 40th homer of the season. For Alonso, the bomb represents the second straight season he has hit the 40-homer mark, and the third time overall since he made his MLB debut five seasons ago.
While Alonso continues to be one of the team's best hitters, things could not look worse at this point of the season for the Mets. On account of their 63-74 record, the team now sits fourth in the NL East, 28 games behind the Atlanta Braves.
Pete Alonso's one-year, $14.5 million deal will expire after the end of the 2023 season. A former home run and RBI leader, the Mets will have to think very carefully about the future of Alonso within their rebuilding strategy. If the 28-year-old decides that he wants to win, then all the money in the world may be unable to ensure that he sticks around Queens for the forseeable future.
Pete Alonso remains an elite hitter within modern MLB
A former home run derby winner, Alonso may indeed be the foremost power hitter in the National League. As such, demand for him will be palpable when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.
While nobody knows what the future might hold for Alonso, the Mets are at a critical point. Despite posting their first 100 win season in 2022 since 1988, the team with the largest payroll in MLB could not be more irrelevant this year. If a deep-pocketed team like the Los Angeles Dodgers make a play for Pete Alonso this offseason, then it could be that Mets fans should enjoy the last few weeks, before he is gone forever.