Pete Alonso is still giving Mets fans plenty to think about.
Now wearing Baltimore colors, the former Mets slugger went deep twice in the Orioles’ 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night, pushing his season total to 40 home runs and 108 RBI. One of those blasts was a two-run shot in the eighth inning, and it ended up being the swing that sent Baltimore home with the victory.
The numbers behind Alonso’s season are turning heads for another reason, too. He became the first player in Major League Baseball history to reach 40 or more home runs in his first season with a team in both the National League and the American League. He hit 53 homers for the Mets in 2019, the year he was named NL Rookie of the Year.
That production has also kept Alonso climbing the all-time lists. The Mets’ franchise leader in home runs with 264, he now sits at 304 career homers, which puts him tied for 18th among active players. Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton leads that group with 456.
Baltimore signed Alonso to a 5-year, $155 million deal in free agency, and he has been one of the bright spots in a season that has the Orioles on the brink of elimination in the American League wild-card race.
He was already in the news last week after hitting two home runs in three games, including the 300th of his career, back at Citi Field. That stretch brought out a curtain call from Mets fans, who also chanted, “Fire Stearns” in a message aimed at embattled president David Stearns.
ESPN’s Chris “Mad Dog” Russo argued that the frustration should extend higher up the chain as well.
“Here’s the guy you gotta kill, you gotta kill Steve Cohen because it’s Steve Cohen’s money and if Steve Cohen, who made a big how do you do about [Pete Alonso’s] record-hitting home run for the franchise last year,” Russo said last week. “If he wanted Alonso on his team, he could’ve told Dave, ‘Dave, pick all the relievers you want, Alonso stays.’”
In Other News...
Mets Just Turned Another Special Weekend Into A Fan Frustration
The Mets had hoped to make late September feel like a celebration, staging Carlos Beltrans jersey retirement ceremony on Sept. 19 while the season was still hanging in the balance. But the timing was awkward from the start, landing during a crucial stretch of the schedule and under weather that did little to help the atmosphere, turning what should have been a sentimental moment into another point of frustration for fans trying to follow a team with bigger concerns.
Howie Roses long-awaited celebration is now set for the opening weekend of the 2027 season, pushed back because of ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations and, according to the report, at Roses own preference. Even so, the change only adds to the sense that the Mets have spent too much of the year stumbling through the calendar, with a string of scheduling decisions making special occasions feel less like rewards and more like missed opportunities. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Are Still Waiting For These Offseason Trades To Pay Off
The Mets spent the offseason reshaping part of their roster by dealing away Brandon Nimmo in the Marcus Semien swap, moving Jeff McNeil for Yordan Rodriguez and sending Franklin Gomez out in a deal for international bonus slot money. It was the kind of aggressive turnover that can change the look of a club quickly, but it also comes with a built-in wait, especially when the return is spread across players and future flexibility rather than immediate help.
So far, the payoff has not arrived in Queens. Semien has yet to deliver a major league contribution for the Mets, Rodriguez is still waiting to make his mark and the bonus-slot angle remains more of a long-view asset than a present-day boost. That leaves the front office watching each move with an eye toward what it can become, even as the early returns leave plenty to be desired. [Read more 🡒]
Carlos Beltran Just Changed The Mets Manager Search Mood
Carlos Beltrans number retirement ceremony at Citi Field brought a celebratory backdrop to a much more practical question hanging over the Mets right now: who will manage the club next? Beltran, long admired in Queens for what he meant to the organization as a player, was asked about the opening and made clear he is not rushing toward a decision, pointing to the kind of commitment the job demands and the personal and professional priorities already on his plate.
For the Mets, the timing matters because this search has been framed around the need for someone with experience and a steady hand. Beltrans uncertainty does not take him out of the conversation, but it does change the mood around it, suggesting the front office may have to keep broadening the field while weighing whether the ideal candidate is someone already familiar with the franchise or simply the best fit for the pressure that comes with the job. [Read more 🡒]