Alonso: ‘For Me, This Was It’

Pete Alonso arrived at spring training Monday, got some swings in, and told the media he is eager to help the Mets make an even longer playoff run in 2025.

“Making a run like that in ’24, you realize how much has to go into getting there,” he said in Port St. Lucie, “but then also getting over that hump and into the World Series. So for me, like that’s addicting. That playoff feeling, that playing that high-leverage baseball, like that’s what it’s all about.

“Like that is the most addicting feel I’ve ever had like on a baseball field and it’s just motivation to get back and get better. Get better and finish the job.”

Alonso also talked about his contract negotiations, first joking “I think the overarching theme is don’t believe everything you read on the Internet.” He signed a two-year, $54 million contract that he can opt out of after this season and felt like he “pushed the market forward a little bit” by earning that much money for a 30-year-old first baseman.

He thought the qualifying offer affected his free agency, along with others around the age of 30, naming Carlos Correa, Matt Chapman, Blake Snell and Alex Bregman. If a team other than the Mets signed Alonso, they would suffer draft pick penalties. The QO can only be offered once in a player’s career, so the Mets cannot use it again on Alonso after this season.

The four-time All-Star said a meeting in Florida with owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns closed the deal, but teammates (he mentioned Brandon Nimmo, Jesse Winker, Sean Manaea, Ryne Stanek and Francisco Lindor) played a role in him returning. They reached out to him and some talked to the front office on his behalf.

Alonso, who hit .240/.329/.459/.788 with 34 home runs and 88 RBIs last season, said it was no secret last year wasn’t his best at the plate and he worked on his swing mechanics in the offseason. He also did a deep video dive on his defense and thinks several errors he made throwing the ball to second base could have been avoided if he had taken the easier out at first.

He is excited about the talent on the team but stressed that meeting expectations this year won’t be easy.

“Our main goal is to win it, but we have to earn it,” he said. “That’s our goal every year is to be the one holding the trophy. But we gotta earn it. Game 1 through Game 162, earn our way to the playoffs, and then once you get there and then you gotta earn it every step of the way there. So the talent’s there but you gotta capture that moment on the field and make it happen.

“The talent is undeniable in the room. We definitely have our work cut out for us this year. After the way we finished last year, the sky is the limit for us, but you gotta earn it every single day. Nothing is guaranteed and it’s gonna be a really fun year.”

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