Every offseason, people ask the same thing: Is Pete Alonso going to leave the New York Mets? The rumors seem to be louder than ever this winter. According to a viral report, the team is willing to let their best player go if he doesn’t take less money. But a trusted voice in the Mets community is strongly disagreeing, saying that the story doesn’t make sense. What happens next could change the whole franchise.

A Sports Illustrated article by Pat Ragazzo sparked a lot of talk when it said that the Mets planned to let Alonso go in free agency unless he agreed to a deal that worked for the team. The report, which came from “a rival NL scout,” said that the team would also look to trade utility man Jeff McNeil as part of a bigger change in culture. However, Ryan Finkelstein, from the top-rated daily Mets podcast “Locked On Mets,” directly challenged this narrative. “A rival NL scout, they’re guessing just as much as you or I, which makes me doubt the reliability of information that comes from outside the organization,” Finkelstein said. His doubts are valid because it has been very hard to get accurate information about the Mets’ internal planning under David Stearns’ leadership.

When you look at the real evidence, Finkelstein’s pushback makes more sense. The Mets showed that they were changing their culture by firing all of their coaches except for Carlos Mendoza. This was a big step that didn’t require any changes to the roster. The casual speculation that the organization needs to break up its core doesn’t take this difference into account. “If this is said, according to a Mets source, right, according to a Mets Scout, according to someone affiliated with the team in any way, shape, or form, maybe I can get my head around it being something that I should react to,” Finkelstein stressed this point, pointing out the logical flaw in the premise. Just because you move on from the two most expendable core pieces, those without long-term contracts, doesn’t mean you have to break up the franchise.

Alonso’s performance in 2025 gives him a much stronger position in negotiations. Many people thought he would get worse after a disappointing 2024 season in which he had a .788 OPS, 34 home runs, and the lowest production of his career for a full season. Instead, Alonso bounced back in a big way: he had a.871 OPS, 38 home runs, 126 RBIs, led the National League with 41 doubles, was named an All-Star, and won his first Silver Slugger award. This amazing change from the worst season of his career to elite-level production changes the math. Alonso’s market is different this offseason than last offseason, when a qualifying offer limited his options.

Now, teams are willing to give him big contracts. It’s not clear if the New York Mets will match those offers, but the idea that Alonso’s market has only gotten smaller is completely wrong.

Kyle Tucker and the Mets’ offseason decision

Pete Alonso’s free agency is getting a lot of attention, but another piece is quietly moving across the board. Kyle Tucker is something else: a generational talent who is available this offseason and could change how the Mets build their team. The Chicago Cubs took a chance on trading for him before the season, knowing his contract would end. Even though he got hurt, Tucker gave Chicago exactly what they wanted from him while he was there. This winter, Tucker will make an astronomical amount of money that is much more than most other free agents.

Tucker is the whole package: he has great bat control, solid defense in right field, and a big contract coming up. “Predicted Contract: 10 years, $350 million. This would be the fifth-largest contract ever given to an outfielder, and only Juan Soto ($51 million), Aaron Judge ($40 million) and Mike Trout ($35.5 million) clock in with a higher AAV on their deals,” Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter projected.

Every franchise would love to have him on board, but MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand says the Mets are really interested. “Tucker would be a solid addition to the lineup, though his arrival in New York would require a move to left field for either him or Soto. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was the Astros’ assistant GM when Houston drafted Tucker with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 Draft,” Feinsand explained.

The Mets’ late-season collapse last year showed that they needed more players right away, and getting Tucker could be the spark they need to win the championship.