MET FOR LIFE

BY : MIKE RIFKIN

The Mets lost to the Marlins on Sunday and their playoff hopes for this season went up in smoke. And while fans should expect changes to the roster, there is one change that most fans don’t want.

Last Winter, Pete Alonso was on the market for a long time before signing a two year contract with the Mets. Alonso said postgame Sunday he does intend to opt out of the contract. Alonso has every right to opt out as he had a phenomenal season with 38 homers and 126 RBI’S along with a slash line of .272/.347/.524. You could also make the case that Alonso was the most consistent Met all season long. Since his debut in 2019 Alonso became a fan favorite, and already has broken several team records including most homers in franchise history. Let’s be honest the Mets haven’t had a homegrown star like Alonso since David Wright. 

Alonso said postgame about his future “ Playing for this organization, this city they’ve continued to believe in me. I love playing here. There’s some great guys in the clubhouse, some great people on the staff. Every single day, it’s been a pleasure coming to work and putting on the orange and blue. I’ve really appreciated it and have nothing but full of gratitude every single day. Nothing is guaranteed, but we’ll see what happens. I’ve loved being a Met. Hopefully, they’ve appreciated me the same.” I think most fans appreciate what Pete brought to this team. It’s not just the numbers, it’s about availability too and Pete on Sunday became the first Met ever to play 162 games in back to back seasons. 

Yes, the fans appreciate everything Steve Cohen has done. And Cohen has done a lot for the Met fan and that includes opening up his checkbook and signing Juan Soto. But, now you’re talking about a fan favorite and a guy who can go down as the greatest homegrown player in franchise history, but definitely down as the greatest power hitter in team history. There is no reason why Pete Alonso shouldn’t be a Met for life, and there doesn’t have to be a middle man just let Cohen and Alonso take care of this for the fans, because the end to the 2025 season was hard enough.