Pete Alonso Deal Made Official
The deal announced last week became official Wednesday: Pete Alonso is a New York Met for at least one more year.
“We’re thrilled to have Pete back,” president of baseball operations David Stearns told reporters. “I think Pete is thrilled to be back. You could like see the genuine excitement that he had to be back in this building and we’re really happy we were able to make it happen.”
Alonso, 30, signed a two-year, $54 million contract, with an opt out for him after this season.
“He wants to win a World Series as a Met and he knows a big part of our ability to do that is him producing,” Stearns said. “And Pete’s had good years the last couple of years, but not as good, not as elite, not at the standard that he set at the front end of his career, and I think he is very motivated to demonstrate that he is capable of putting up those types of numbers.”
Alonso hit 34 home runs last year, a career low excluding Covid-shortened 2020, and his OPS was .788, 33 points lower than it was in 2023. He is 27 home runs away from breaking Darryl Strawberry‘s Mets home run record of 252.
“We’re excited to welcome Pete back to Queens,” Steve and Alex Cohen said in a statement. “He is a homegrown talent who is adored by our fan base. It should be a fun summer at Citi Field watching Pete contribute to a great lineup and chase the franchise home run record.”
Stearns also spoke about the upcoming season and what many experts expect to be a three-team race for the division between the Mets, Phillies and Braves.
“I feel like we can be better than them but there’s nothing guaranteed,” he said. “We gottta go out and perform. The Braves are going to win more games than they won last year (89). The Phillies are a really good team that’s going to be highly motivated again this year. So we know the battle we are about to enter. I think we’re excited by it. We know it’s going to take a very strong effort from our entire roster.”
And in another roster move, the Mets signed reliever Drew Smith to a two-year deal, with a club option for the second year. He will earn $1 million this season and the Mets will decide whether to pay him $2 million plus incentives in 2026, according to reports.
The 31-year-old right-hander is the longest-tenured Mets pitcher, debuting in 2018. He underwent hybrid Tommy John surgery in July after going 1-1 with a 3.06 ERA and 1.52 WHIP with 23 strikeouts in 17.2 innings. For his career, he’s 12-13 with a 3.48 ERA.
Stearns said Smith’s familiarity with the organization helped with the decision.
“Having continuity in his care, that he can be under our supervision for his rehab in a place that he’s comfortable, that he trusts the medical staff is important for both sides,” Stearns said. “And then hopefully this goes well and he’s pitching big innings for us in ’26.”
The Mets placed Smith and starter Christian Scott on the 60-day injured list. Scott is also expected to miss the season, recovering from Tommy John surgery.
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