NEW YORK — The only thing missing from Mets fans during the Leadership Fireside Chat on Amazin’ Day might have been torches and pitchforks.
As Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns and owner Steve Cohen emerged in the Piazza Club at Citi Field, there was only one thing on the mind of those faithful fans: Pete Alonso.
The “We Want Pete” chants rained down as they were seated. After favorite moments of the 2024 season and Juan Soto’s addition were discussed, moderator Gary Cohen needed to address the elephant in the room. The “Pete” chants worked their way in again as Stearns brought up the team’s young players but a noticeable absence of their homegrown star.
It forced Steve Cohen to step in. “Let’s hold that for the end, OK?” Steve Cohen said.
Then, the mangled nature of the negotiations between the Mets and Alonso became clear as the Mets owner addressed his aversion to the state of the talks.
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“Personally, this has been an exhausting conversation and negotiation. (Juan) Soto was tough. This is worse,” Cohen said. “A lot of it is we’ve had a significant… I don’t like the structures that are being presented back to us. I think it’s highly asymmetric against us, and I feel strongly about it.
“I will never say, ‘No.’ There’s always the possibility, but the reality is we’re moving forward and we continue to bring in players. As we continue to bring in players, the reality is it becomes harder to fit Pete into what is a very expensive group of players that we already have. That’s where we are. I’m brutally honest. I don’t like the negotiations.”
The discussion sent a tremor through the proceedings at the team’s Amazin’ Day at Citi Field. Earlier in the day, it was learned that both Mark Vientos and Brett Baty had begun working at first base during their offseason workouts.
And Cohen’s blunt discussions on a Mets future without Alonso manning first base drove home a potential reality that the team’s fans must now grapple with.
Who’s on first? Mark Vientos or Brett Baty, maybe?
The Mets have begun to put contingencies in place if they cannot retain Alonso.
With a hole at first base becoming more and more real, Vientos and Baty are starting to put in the groundwork to fill that need.
“They told me to take some reps, for sure,” Vientos said Saturday. “I’ve been taking reps over there. I’ve been getting ready for anything that happens. At the end of the day, you got to go out there, you gotta play. I’m just ready to do whatever it takes.”
Both Vientos and Baty featured exclusively at third base at the major league level during the 2024 season. Vientos made six starts at first base at Triple-A Syracuse in 2024 and 24 starts at the position at the same level in 2023. Despite breaking in as a shortstop, Vientos has spent time at first base at the minor league level since 2021.
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Meanwhile, Baty, who started 43 games for the Mets at third base in 2024, has been adding to his skillset across the diamond. He made 27 starts at second base for Triple-A Syracuse late last season, has worked in the corner outfield and received a phone call from president of baseball operations David Stearns this offseason to consider working on first base.
“I turned around, got on the phone, got a first base glove right away, got it shipped overnight,” Baty said. “I’ve been doing first-base reps, along with second base and third base, as well, and I’ll go up with my high school team and I’ll shag in the outfield too. Just trying to be versatile on every single position.”
The development of those 25-year-olds could be key for the Mets, with uncertainty looming over Alonso’s future. Earlier this week, SNY’s Andy Martino reported that talks were advancing between the Blue Jays and Alonso. Those discussions came after talks between the Mets and Alonso broke down after the New York Post’s Joel Sherman and Dan Martin reported that the first baseman balked at an offer of between $68 and $70 million.
“We all love and we’ve said that many times,” Stearns said during the fireside chat. “I think as we’ve gone through this process, we continued to express that. We also understand that this is a business and Pete, as a free agent, deserves the right and has the right and earned the privilege, really, to see what’s out there. We also feel really good about the young players who are coming through our system and have the ability to play.
“We saw that last year, and that’s not always the most popular opinion, but we saw that, and we’re gonna get to see that again.”
An understanding on Pete Alonso’s decision
As Alonso weighs the decision between returning with the Mets or perhaps taking more money to play elsewhere for the first time in his career, his Mets teammates have been empathetic toward their former teammate.
“When you get to free agency, it’s a privilege to be able to go through it and it’s not a decision that you want to take lightly or try and rush,” said Brandon Nimmo, who returned to New York on an eight-year, $162 million deal in 2023. “There’s a lot of talk beforehand about how you want to approach meetings and situations. If you’re not seeing what you’re looking for, then there’s no reason to rush it.”
That’s the common line of thinking for the Mets players and coaches, like Carlos Mendoza. While many have said that they would welcome an Alonso reunion, they understand the business side of baseball and Alonso’s chance to maximize his earning potential in his first crack at free agency after spending all six of his major league seasons with the Mets.
“I think he should make the best decision for himself and not feel like he’s rushed into a decision,” said Lindor, who offered that he recently extended well-wishes via text with his former teammate. “I’m sure he will. Pete’s smart. He’s gonna get the input from his wife and his family and then make the best decision for himself. As he should. He deserves it. He deserves the opportunity to make the best decision for himself.”
Yet without Alonso a massive hole exists 90 feet from home plate. During his Mets tenure, Alonso ripped 226 home runs — third-most in franchise history — and amassed 586 RBI while grabbing four All-Star selections and the 2019 NL Rookie of the Year Award. He played in all 162 games in 2024 and has never finished with less than 88 RBI across a full seaosn.
Manager Carlos Mendoza said that he has not given much thought to an existence without Alonso manning first base for the Mets, but outlined Vientos, Baty, Jared Young and Joey Meneses as options to headline the position heading into spring training.
