During his first six seasons, Pete Alonso won a Rookie of the Year award and was named to four All-Star teams. Still, the Mets allowed him to reach the free agent market after the 2024 season.
As late as mid-February, Alonso still lingered there. There was a sense that he would eventually re-sign with the Mets, but the closer it got to the season, the less inevitable the reunion felt. I can understand teams not wanting to give Alonso a lucrative long-term contract. The road to baseball hell is paved with big contracts handed out to older, large-bodied sluggers.