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New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso told reporters Sunday that he will exercise the player opt-out clause in his two-season, $54 million contract and become a free agent.
Alonso made the remarks after his team lost 4-0 at the Miami Marlins on Sunday. The Mets needed to win to make the playoffs as a wild card, but the loss put New York at 83-79, a game back of the Cincinnati Reds for the National League’s No. 6 seed.
Alonso enjoyed a tremendous 2025 season, hitting .272 (.871 OPS) with 38 home runs alongside 126 RBI. He made the All-Star Game for the fourth straight season and fifth time overall.
Alonso has spent his entire MLB stint with the Mets, who selected the man nicknamed “Polar Bear” with a second-round pick out of the University of Florida in the 2016 MLB draft.
Over his seven-year career, Alonso has smacked 264 home runs, including an MLB rookie record 53 in 2019. He’s also earned an impressive .857 OPS. In addition, Alonso has posted a 162-game average of 42 homers and 115 RBI.
Needless to say, he’s been a great addition for the Mets.
New York was unable to come to terms on a long-term extension with Alonso in 2023 after he reportedly rejected a seven-year, $158 million contract extension during the 2023 season, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
Alonso instead entered free agency after the 2024 season. The timing was unfortunate after Alonso hit .240 with a career-low .788 OPS. The year before, Alonso hit a career-low .217.
Alonso didn’t find a lucrative deal in free agency to his liking, so he in essence chose to return to the Mets on a de-facto one-year deal, with the potential to head to free agency in the 2025-26 offseason to potentially find better offers out there on the back of a better campaign.
Ultimately, it’s no surprise that Alonso is electing free agency given how well he performed, and it won’t be a shock to see him land a lucrative, long-term contract after his great year. Whether it’s in New York or elsewhere is up for debate, but Alonso should be getting paid either way.