LAS VEGAS— The Mets won’t be the only big-spending club interested in Pete Alonso this winter. Ask super agent Scott Boras, who represents first base slugging and held one of his annual media sessions at the General Managers’ Meetings on Wednesday in Las Vegas.
“There is no doubt that Pete’s pursuers are prime to pay the price,” Boras said. “Pete picked the perfect time to play preeminently at a really important position. A plethora of playoff-hungers will be heading out to participate in the Polar Plunge.”
If Alonso eats some pickled peppers later this offseason, Boras will clearly be on top.
Jokes and alliteration aside, Alonso’s prodigious power will play a pivotal role in the Mets’ offseason plans. The Mets lineup needs his presence to protect Juan Soto. He’s one of the faces of the franchise, a fan favorite and can handle the pressure of playing in New York.
But what about Alonso’s penetrable defense at first base? The metrics suggest Alonso is a poor defender with putrid range, and as much as he can pick up the ball and defend against teammates’ shots, he doesn’t fit the run prevention narrative that president of baseball operations David Stearns is following this offseason.
Boras indicated Wednesday that Alonso is willing to play more as a designated hitter starting in 2026.
“I think Pete, at this point in his career, is on the verge of winning, without a doubt,” Boras said.
That’s good news for the Mets if Alonso is open to that scenario as they consider the risks of signing a player his age to a long-term contract.
Stearns was asked later Wednesday afternoon about Boras’ comments and whether Alonso’s willingness to fill the designated hitter spot changes how he fits into the Mets’ plans.
“Pete is clearly a very good offensive player and I think for any team, the ability to put his bat in the lineup in multiple ways is helpful,” Stearns said. “It’s great to know that Pete is open to things like that.”
Boras will always delight his clients. That’s your job. But he had every right to criticize Alonso’s courage on Wednesday. After all, Alonso has been one of the best, longest-lasting and most consistent power hitters in the game since he began his career with the Mets. He’s also coming off another impressive season at the plate. To use another Boras pun, the agent called Alonso’s durability “pachydermian perseverance.” Other first basemen around the league are forming platoons, “except Pete.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Boras said, “power, production, punishing pitchers, they’re fully aware of his ability, but I think what they pay attention to the most is the core element of what he can do to give a team that 40-homer consistency, power and production because they’re just not finding it.”
Boras continued: “In many ways, from a production, from the middle of the lineup, he’s an ideal franchise player. He plays every day and it’s clear that New York fans identify with someone who is a worker, which is what Pete is.”
Still, the Mets and Alonso’s camp will need to agree on dollars and contract length if the first baseman wants to return this winter.
It remains to be seen if Alonso will get another opportunity in a different market to play first base. Perhaps that could tip the balance in his long-awaited decision if another contender offers to play him at first base every day and the Mets don’t. At least for now, it appears that positioning is not a deciding factor in their draw.
What we do know for sure is that Stearns has no “fixed philosophy” when it comes to designated hitters and how much money they should make.
Right now, with Alonso in free agency, the Mets don’t have a clear designated hitter. Bring Alonso back and you can use him there often. If he walks around and wears another uniform on Opening Day next spring, there are other internal and external options available.
“We have several players who could take at-bats as a designated hitter, but we don’t have anyone who’s going to live there right now, so that opportunity is open,” Stearns said. “And if that’s how we work in the offseason, it works out really well. If we get to Opening Day and we don’t have that set position, I also think that gives (manager Carlos Mendoza) some flexibility to rotate some guys in there. So I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way to do that.”
Stearns has also made no secret of the Mets’ interest in reuniting with Alonso this week. The same goes for closer Edwin Díaz, who also opted out this offseason.
“We love both Pete and Edwin,” Stearns said Tuesday. “They’ve been great representatives of the organization. We would love to have both of them back. At this stage of the offseason, it’s really hard to predict any outcome, but we certainly would love to have both of these guys back.”
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