After spending seven seasons as the face of the Mets and barely five weeks in free agency, Pete Alonso moved on to Baltimore and has not exactly looked back. He is producing, he says he feels at home with the Orioles, and yet his first trip back to Citi Field instantly reopened the old conversation.
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The Mets rolled out a nearly two-minute tribute video, fans gave him a standing ovation, and Alonso tipped his cap as the entire stadium welcomed him like he had never left. That reception was emotional enough to spark the obvious question: after everything that happened in free agency, does any part of Alonso still want New York back? Alonso already has an answer, and it is not the one nostalgic Mets fans may want to hear.
“I’m just as excited, if not more excited, than they are for camp to start. It’s an exciting time,” Pete Alonso said in January while preparing for his first Spring Training with the Baltimore Orioles. Eight months later, that excitement has clearly not faded. After seven seasons with the Mets and a brief spell in free agency, Alonso signed a five-year, $155 million deal with Baltimore, and when asked why he never seriously looked elsewhere, his answer was simple. “So for me, it’s like I didn’t want to look anywhere else because Baltimore was putting in a tremendous effort for dialogue and having conversations,” he said.
That answer carried even more weight when Alonso returned to Citi Field on Monday for the first time as an opponent. The Mets drafted him in 2016, and three years later, he announced himself with a 53-homer rookie season and NL Rookie of the Year honors. Over seven seasons in New York, Alonso became one of the faces of the franchise, made five All-Star teams, and left with a club-record 264 home runs.
That chapter ended after the 2025 season. Alonso entered free agency, the Mets did not bring him back, and Baltimore signed him to a five-year, $155 million deal in December. By the time he returned to Queens, he had already settled into his new surroundings.
Through 150 games, Alonso was batting .268 with an .859 OPS and 35 home runs, putting him one away from 300 for his career. He has also made it clear that Baltimore already feels like more than just his next stop.
“I feel like Baltimore’s home,” Alonso admitted after the Orioles’ 2-1 win. “I feel so at home and really just so genuinely happy where it’s like, I really see myself in a really good way with this organization. Hopefully, I get to finish my career here as an Oriole. I’m beyond blessed to be an Oriole.”
Still, his return showed how much he continues to mean in New York. Before the game, the Mets played a nearly two-minute tribute video celebrating his years with the franchise. When Alonso was introduced, the crowd of 35,800 rose to its feet as he tipped his cap in acknowledgment.
The nostalgia continued during his first plate appearance. Citi Field played “Layla,” one of his former walk-up songs, while the scoreboard displayed “Welcome Back, Pete!” Fans also chanted his name before each of his four plate appearances.
Alonso nearly added another memorable moment. Sitting on 299 career home runs, he pulled a potential No. 300 foul into the upper deck before finishing the night without a hit. Baltimore still won 2-1, eliminating the Mets from playoff contention.
“I feel very fortunate. I appreciate all the support and people keeping up,” Alonso said afterward. “I care so much about leaving it all out in the field, really taking every opportunity and just doing all the work that I have and emptying the tank every night. I’m glad that people appreciate that. For them to recognize that and appreciate that continuously, it’s really special.”
Despite how his Mets tenure ended, Alonso did not use the moment to criticize his former team. Instead, he made it clear that he respects New York’s decision while fully embracing the next chapter of his career in Baltimore.
Alonso’s 300-HR milestone comes into focus
Monday night wasn’t a fruitful one at the plate for the five-time MLB All-Star. Alonso went 0-for-3 with one walk and one strikeout after entering the series opener with 299 career home runs. Many expected him to reach 300 in his return to Citi Field, but despite Baltimore’s 2-1 win, the milestone will have to wait.
Alonso still has 11 games remaining in the regular season, and he has put together a strong year. He owns a .268/.363/.496 slash line in 2026, numbers that rank among the better marks of his career.
He has also hit 35 home runs, putting him five away from another 40-homer season. Reaching that mark would match his totals from 2022 and 2023, although it would still be well short of the 53 homers he smashed during his historic rookie campaign.
His durability has been just as impressive. Alonso has not missed a game this season after playing all 162 regular-season games in each of the previous two years. That consistency, combined with his production at the plate, only adds to the frustration surrounding the Mets’ decision to let him walk in free agency.
New York is now out of the playoff race, while the Baltimore Orioles remain 3.0 games behind the final American League Wild Card spot. Alonso’s emotional return to Citi Field may be over, but his season is not. He is still chasing career homer No. 300 while Baltimore fights to keep its October hopes alive.