Moose: Mets need to sign Pete Alonso to long-term contract
Pete Alonso voiced his desire to not be traded and to stay with the Mets when speaking with reporters before Monday's Home Run Derby, and Marc Malusis says Alonso should get his wish.
Not only should Alonso not be dealt, but Moose says the first baseman should be signed to a long-term deal in the offseason, even as he struggles, at least to Alonso's standards, so far in his contract year.
"I think the Mets are gonna add at the MLB trade deadline. I also don't think they're gonna be paring away a guy with the stature of Pete Alonso, nor do I think that would be smart," Moose said. "The idea of trading away Pete Alonso if the Mets season had gone the way we all thought it was going when they were 11 games under .500, and signed him in the offseason after trading him to a contending team…that idea, to me, made little to no sense. If Alonso found himself in a winning situation and winning culture, they make a successful playoff run and they make him a contract offer…then Pete Alosno might be gone forever.
"If you don't respect what Alonso has represented here with the Mets, then I don't know what you're watching."
Alonso's power is a valuable commodity in the middle of the Mets lineup, but New York is used to the slugger providing more power than the 19 home runs he has hit so far in 2024. But Alonso has hit over 35 home runs in every full season of his career, and at least 40 in three of his four full big-league seasons, and Moose says that cannot be overlooked.
"His presence in the lineup, and his ability to perform under the pressure of this city…it would be a mistake," Moose said. "Alonso should not wear another jersey other than the New York Mets…he should not be moved at the trade deadline. He should be signed in the offseason."
