Joe B: Pete Alonso's down year likely helps Mets chances of keeping him long term
Pete Alonso's season OPS has dipped back below .800 after back-to-back hitless games against the Nationals, and is currently batting .242 with 18 home runs ahead of his first crack at free agency.
Alonso, expected to carry the Mets offense in the middle of the order, has been solid, but not the star he has been in the past, and Joe Benigno believes it could work out in New York's favor when it comes to keeping him in Queens long term.
"Maybe the fact that he's having a little bit of a down year helps the Mets keep him," Joe said. "I think he's struggling because of the contract…he's trying to get the big money, and he wants to be a Met. I really think that's a problem."
Alonso reportedly turned down a contract offer from the Mets, hiring super-agent Scott Boras ahead of free agency this winter. But Jerry agrees that Alonso isn't getting the money he hoped for if he continues on this pace, which could lead him to come back down closer to the Mets' reported offer of seven years and $158 million.
"I don't know if what the Mets supposedly offered is all that far off," Jerry said. "I know he's better than this, but he ain't showing it."
