Former New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso - who became a free agent after opting out of his contract following the World Series - has just inked a five-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles worth a whopping $155 million, according to reports.
Nicknamed "The Polar Bear," Alonso, 31, had previously played for the Mets for seven years, first joining in 2019 when he was picked by the team during the MLB Draft. After opting out of his contract, he became one of the biggest free agents in baseball and was highly sought after by numerous teams.
While he met with representatives of several teams interested in acquiring his services throughout the winter, he reportedly did not do so with any members of Mets' management team, despite their eagerness to retain the star player.
“How much do I want him? Of course I want him,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was quoted as saying about Alonso. “His ability to post every day, when you don’t have to worry about who’s playing first base and who’s going to be hitting in the middle of your lineup, you can’t beat that. So he earned [his free agency]. He’s going through the process right now, and I think David’s been very vocal how much we want him. We’ll see how it goes here.”
This represents the second time during his Mets career that Alonso had become a free agent. The first time was last cycle, when he initially failed to come to terms with the team on a contract, although the two sides eventually agreed on a two-year, $54 million contract that allowed him to opt-out for 2026 if he wished...which, obviously, he ultimately did.
Alonso played college baseball for the Florida Gators before being drafted by the Mets in 2016. He made his MLB debut on Opening Day in 2019 and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award the same year, setting a major league record for rookies with 53 home runs. Alonso is a five-time MLB All-Star and led the league in home runs in 2019 and in runs batted in 2022. He is also the Mets' all-time franchise leader in home runs and has won the MLB Home Run Derby twice, in 2019 and 2021.