Last week, Pete Alonso’s long national nightmare finally ended, as the Mets brought back their home grown first baseman on a two-year, $54 million deal with an opt-out. It was a protracted negotiation process, with both sides voicing frustration at various points. Ultimately, though, Alonso returns to his spot at the cold corner and at the heart of the Mets’ lineup.
This deal is definitely something of a surprise at this juncture. Alonso infamously turned down a 7-year, $158 million deal in 2023, a contract that would’ve been well above market and almost immediately one of the worst deals in baseball (thank you, Billy Eppler).