Keith: Does Pete Alonso want to be a Met for life?

As Pete Alonso soaked up the atmosphere of the All-Star Game festivities in Texas this week, Keith wondered, despite the first baseman's expressed desire to not be traded, if Alonso truly wants to make New York his forever home.

"I thought Pete Alonso won today, even though he lost last night. He had on the all black cowboy hat…and I'm reminded, Pete Alonso is not a New Yorker," Keith said of the Florida native. "He's from the south. This guy probably has a little bit of an itch to get out of New York. Like deGrom got to go to Texas. Like Scherzer got to go to Texas. Like Justin Verlander got to go back to Texas. And there were rumors about the Astros checking on him. Maybe he wants to go to Texas…do they trade for him and make a push? Maybe."

Reports did link the Astros and Mets in potential trade talks this year, but with New York right back in the playoff race, dealing away their most potent power threat would be a concession that fans would likely not take well. So, Alonso could likely go to free agency, and while Keith isn't positive that Alonso wants to stay a Met for life, he may have trouble finding the contract he feels he deserves, especially as he makes his way through a mediocre season by his standards.

"Half of the Mets fans love Pete and feel like he should retire a Met…but Pete Alonso has not performed this year the way you would want him to in a contract year," Keith said. "But that's good, right? You didn't extend him…I think this is playing into the hands of the Mets fans that want to see Pete as a 30-plus-year-old guy finish his career here…Scott Boras, he's not baseball's Bond villain anymore. Baseball has turned against him. He's not gonna get that Gerrit Cole contract anymore.

"Please go look up Matt Olson's contract. Look up Freddie Freeman's contract. Look at first basemen's contracts, who are better than Pete."