PHOENIX – Pete Alonso hasn’t talked much about how his home was extensively damaged by flood waters when Hurricane Helene hit his hometown of Tampa, Fla., last September.
It happened as Alonso and the New York Mets were in Milwaukee about to play the Brewers. The team’s immediate objective was to make the playoffs with the specter of free agency pending for Alonso. All of that suddenly took a back seat for the player affectionately known as the Polar Bear.
The ending isn’t a surprise—Alonso eventually re-signed with the Mets. This year, they have been one of the best teams in Major League Baseball, and Alonso is having a season for the ages. But Alonso couldn’t predict that. Nobody could.
“[The hurricane] put a lot into perspective,” Alonso said in an interview at Chase Field Monday as his National League East-leading Mets went on to take two of a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, including Wednesday’s 7-1 win. “I wasn’t going to say anything about it at the time, because we lost our home just like so many other people did in Tampa, and we had to deal with that the entire postseason and the offseason. So the free agency stuff became secondary.”
The Mets made the playoffs. A week after the hurricane, back in Milwaukee, Alonso hit the ninth-inning Wild Card Series-winning homer that vaulted the Mets over the Brewers into an NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets took down the Phillies before losing to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in a six game NLCS. Free agency then began.
Alonso went into detail about the ordeal on Monday. His house flooded with three feet of water. He and his wife, Haley, had to move into a rental while they dug into the process of remediation and restoration, which is still ongoing.
“It’s almost back,” Alonso said about his home.
Alonso had an arduous free-agency path this past offseason, ultimately signing a two-year, $54 million contract on Feb. 12, with an opt-out after this season. But with all the attention on the Mets signing Juan Soto in December to a 15-year deal worth $765 million, it turns out that Alonso’s signing was just as important to the Mets, given the team trails only the Dodgers in wins right now.
“The free agency stuff I knew was going to take care of itself,” Alonso said. “Did I have my best season [last year]? No. But I still had a very good season and postseason. There was so many personal things in the offseason. That’s really it. I knew I was going to be playing baseball. It was just a matter of where. I just had to wait a little bit.”
It worked out well for Alonso and his teammates, who wanted him back.
“Absolutely, 100%,” Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “He’s one of the best power hitters in the game.”
Alonso thus far has gone from hitting .249 with 34 homers and 88 RBIs last season to .328 with nine homers and 33 RBIs in the first 38 games, despite an 0-for-8 in the last two games of the series. He hit a homer during the first game.
That’s a product of Alonso’s own mental process, locking into his swing on a consistent basis, he said, as much as hitting third in the lineup every day behind Lindor and Soto. That pair has been on base 126 times already this season through Wednesday, creating a lot of opportunities for Alonso, manager Carlos Mendoza said.
“When you look at his at-bats, there’s always runners on base,” he said. “So, there might be something to that.”
Soto alone was on base 305 times last season for the Yankees, giving Aaron Judge a plethora of opportunities as he garnered another American League MVP season with 58 homers and 144 RBIs, both league-leading numbers.
Soto hasn’t quite flourished yet with the Mets, hitting .261 with seven homers, 17 RBIs, but 29 runs scored, including the pair of homers he hit Wednesday. He led the league with 128 runs scored last year for the Yankees. He said recently he’s seeing more strikes with Alonso hitting behind him rather than Judge. He’s walked only 29 times as opposed to 127 all last season.
To be sure, Judge is having an even better year thus far without Soto hitting in front of him, batting .400 with 12 homers and 34 RBIs through 37 games.
Soto said he hasn’t completely adjusted yet to his third team in three years and fourth overall.
“Mendoza has been helping me with that big time,” Sosa said in an interview session after Wednesday’s game. “I’m feeling pretty comfortable, It’s not easy at all. When you come to a team for the first time it’s always going to take a bit to settle in.”
That’s made it more important to the Mets’ fortunes that Alonso is off to such a hot start. He’s approaching the club’s all-time lead with 235 homers. Darryl Strawberry (252) and David Wright (242) are ahead of him.
“[Alonso has] always been focused,” Lindor said. “He’s hit a point in his life where he truly understands his full body, his mechanics and the way he controls the strike zone. If he stays patient he can hit any pitch at any given time and not just for home runs.”
Alonso made it clear last season he wanted to remain with the Mets, but contract talks went nowhere. His agent, Scott Boras, began shopping him during free agency, but there was no one willing to meet his multiyear, mega-million dollar demands. Mets owner Steve Cohen was frustrated with the negotiations; what Boras was seeking was not within his scope.
While Alonso, like many of his neighbors, dealt with insurance companies and FEMA to salvage their homes, Boras kept him aware of the progress on the free agent market—or lack thereof, which made the process very easy, Alonso said.
In early February, Boras generated a three-year, $71 million offer from the Toronto Blue Jays. Alonso left that on the table when the Mets came back with their offer. He agreed to a $10 million signing bonus, another $20 million in salary for 2025 and a $24 million player option for 2026.
If his current season continues, he’ll opt out and make a lot more money, either from the Mets or another team.
Alonso said he was ecstatic the way it all turned out. His wife is pregnant, his house is on the rebuild, and the Mets are contending. Life is good.
“Patience is a virtue. We practice it, and waiting was easy,” Alonso said. “I’m really satisfied with the deal I got. I get to be with the Mets. I get to play on a winning ballclub. Here I know the culture. I know the guys. It’s a really special group.”
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