Legacy is a big deal for any sports player. Imagine growing up watching Mickey Mantle or Tom Seaver in their full glory or seeing that iconic 80s Mets or 90s Yankees team. Those are the things that turn young fans into future ballplayers. The New York Mets’ homegrown superstar, Pete Alonso, is currently in a position similar to his heroes. However, surprisingly, he has a very nuanced take on his legacy. 

With two days to go until the opening day, Alonso is perhaps the one feeling the most pressure. He has a dual battle to fight this season. First, Alonso has to lead his Mets side back to glory after 2023’s disastrous performance. Second, he has to answer the speculations about following him throughout his walk year. And with so much at stake, it becomes even more important to understand Alonso’s current mindset.

SNY recently interviewed Pete Alonso and talked about his ascendency to the rarefied places in the Mets’ rich lore. While Alonso’s on-field performances have been nothing short of spectacular, there’s still something that separates him from the immortals: the World Series. The superstar understands this fact and has pointed it out to the reporters.

“People don’t just remember the individual performances. They remember the team effort…the experience of what it was like having those special star players and then also experiencing those awesome winning seasons,” Alonso said. “I want to be on a team like that.” In short, the superstar prefers having a team that is a winner over being individually successful. 

It does make sense, as while individually a player can be brilliant, if under them the team didn’t perform well, there’s always an asterisk attached to them. And asterisks aren’t always a good thing; just ask Roger Maris. However, Alonso’s free agency has raised speculations about his departure. How has that affected the clubhouse? The superstar answered that as well.

The Mets remain surprisingly quiet regarding Pete Alonso’s free agency 

When Alonso was asked about how his impending free agency has affected the Mets’ clubhouse, he was quite candid: “No one’s really asked me about it. I just show up and play. I work hard and just want to be all I can be every single day. Wherever I am on lists or record books, it’s honestly really nice. It’s really cool,” Alonso said. 

Still, speculations have been rife regarding his free agency. Till now, the Mets haven’t made any serious attempt at extending his deal. The team has seemingly accepted that they’ll have to fight for him in free agency. Will there be competition? Guess it from the fact that since his debut in 2019, Alonso has hit 192 homers—the most by anyone in the MLB since then. 

So clearly, there will be competition for this 29-year-old. With a $20.5 million arbitration salary, one can imagine his free agency will be an expensive affair. But with his Mets legacy in balance, it sure will be interesting to see the climax of this story.

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