THE PROLONGED HIBERNATION OF NEW YORKS POLAR BEAR
New York has faced brutal arctic temperatures in the early weeks of the winter season, featured by a handful of snowfalls. It all sounds like a pretty ideal climate for a Polar Bear, one who plays right outside the greatest city in the world, in Queens, New York.
Pete Alonso is entering his age 30 season and remains one of the top players in the free agency market. With money machine Scott Boras steering his offseason ship, it leaves us wondering why Pete hasn’t signed with a club yet. Alonso is a prolific power hitting monster who can become a nightmare for any batter in a chess game where one pitch, one swing, can change the trajectory of a ball club. Before the 2024 season, Mets President of Baseball Operations, David Stearns, offered Alonso an extension; 7 Years, $158 Million dollars which very well would’ve seen Pete shatter numerous Met records and inched him closer than ever to being a Met for life. Alonso bet on himself and turned down the offer.
Unfortunately for Pete, he had a year under the standard he is held to. When you come into the league smashing 53 home runs, expectations are high and although Pete failed to reach even 40 home runs in 2024, he delivered for the Mets when they needed him the most: Game 3 on the road in Milwaukee. I get the chills just thinking of Howie Rose calling the game on the radio, mentioning how it could be Pete’s last at bat as a Met, or it could be the at bat of a lifetime. As soon as Pete made contact, you can hear his scream and excitement, and Howie acknowledged the historic moment “Pete Alonso keeps this fairytale season going with the fairytale swing of his career. Three to two New York!” Alonso continued to slug through the remainder of the Mets dark horse run, further cementing his legacy as one an all-time Met.
With spring training around the corner, a reunion between Pete and the New York Mets seems inevitable. Suitors like the Yankees, Astros, Guardians, and even the Nationals have all filled their gaps at first. The Cubs, Giants, and Angels have expressed their interest in Alonso but none of those teams can offer Pete what the Mets can, an opportunity to become a New York Icon.
Pete still has gas in the tank, and I expect him to return to his 40-plus home runs and 100-plus RBIs regardless of where he ends up. A return to Queens would see him becoming a great protection bat behind newly acquired megastar Juan Soto, taking care of unfinished business with Lindor, Nimmo & company, Smashing the Mets all-time home run record in 2025 (Pete is at 226 the record held by Darryl Strawberry is 252), and gives Pete a few more seasons to cement his case as a Met for life.
While signing Soto has brought the Mets organization and fanbase inexplicable joy, the Mets still have a few holes to fill. Polar Bears don’t typically migrate, and I don’t see any other situation for Pete that fits like a glove than the only home he’s ever known.
