Pete Alonso’s decision to leave the New York Mets is now costing them big. After departing in free agency last offseason, he signed a five-year, $155 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles. Despite having the highest Opening Day payroll in MLB this season, the Mets did not extend a formal offer to Alonso, per league sources. As Alonso returned to Citi Field with the Orioles, hit his 300th career homer, and helped eliminate his former team, experts and analysts are weighing in on whether the Mets made a mistake in the offseason.
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A former MLB player and future Hall of Famer had added his own two cents to the discussion.
“It was just a clear mistake. They [Mets] got cute,” said Joey Votto on MLB Now. “Pete wasn’t the break-a-banks sort of guy. He handled New York well. He handled that ballpark well. He was good both with the fan base and behind the scenes. It just felt like an easy signing that I felt like they got cute on and botched.”
Ahead of the 2026 season, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns pulled a roster overhaul. While Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor survived it, Alonso was not one of them. The Mets were reportedly hesitant to go beyond three years for “Polar Bear,” despite their opening day payroll sitting at roughly $358 million.
In the process, they lost Alonso, who owns the Mets’ franchise record for home runs. According to Votto, Alonso’s ask was perfectly reasonable, and the Mets’ decision to let their homegrown star go was unnecessary and “a mistake.”
“You got rid of Alonso. It’s like they were trying to send the message, ‘We’re going to create a brand new identity here.’ And that’s perfectly fine,” added Vott. “You’re well within your rights to create a new style. But Pete was really not asking for the 10-year contract. I think he was reasonable in that five, six, seven-year range.”
Furthermore, the Mets failed to fill the void Alonso left in the lineup. Neither Jorge Polanco nor Bo Bichette delivered as well at the plate. Signed as a replacement for Alonso at first base, Polanco only managed to play 37 games this season, hampered by injuries.
For the better part of the season, the Mets struggled to find an everyday first baseman. They switched between Mark Vientos and Polanco, and even Jared Young stepped in. But the void Alonso left in offense remained.
It was further highlighted when he homered twice at Citi Field, especially with the Mets failing to secure a postseason berth twice in a row. Last season, the Mets had a first-base OPS of .860 (second in the league). This year, they saw a steep drop to 29th at .682.
The “Fire Stearns” chants, in contrast to the warm welcome fans gave Alonso, confirmed just how much Mets fans seemingly disagreed with Stearns’ decision.