As Pete Alonso prepares for his final season before free agency, Gio and Jerry both can see the argument for the Mets moving on and not signing their homegrown slugger to a long-term deal.
It doesn't mean they wouldn't commit to Alonso long term, but the reasons to not are there.
"He's gonna be 31," Jerry said. "How much is 45 home runs and 100 RBI worth to you when you're not gonna get a whole lot else, and you also know that those numbers are gonna start coming down?
"I sat here all summer last year and said the Mets need to re-sign him now, meaning in 2023. Now we're into 2024, he's gonna make a nice paycheck this year, and he's gonna be 31 next year. We'll see. It doesn't mean they're not gonna re-sign him, but this notion that you have to…if this team is eight games under .500 and going nowhere fast at the trade deadline, are you going to keep him just because he's a homegrown Met, or are you going to trade him and bring back more blue chip prospects so the future is much brighter?"
Gio says his thoughts on Alonso changed in 2023, where he no longer saw the first baseman as an absolute must-keep given the team's struggles despite Alonso's production.
"Things changed a lot for me after this past season. I know he was hurt, but he didn't miss that much time," Gio said. "But when you're the face of a team that can win a division - which they were close to doing back in 2022 - when you're on a team that's in the playoffs and you're in the middle of that lineup, that's one thing. When you're the face of the franchise and hitting home runs for a team that's 20 games out of first place, you're useless to me. I'm sorry. I don't care who you are."
