New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns spoke about first baseman Pete Alonso on Monday following the close of a historic 2026 season for the All-Star. Alonso, 31, signed a five-year, $155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles last offseason, ending his seven-year stay in Queens. With the Orioles this season, Alonso led the American League with 43 homers and 113 RBIs, becoming the first player in MLB history to win the RBI title in both the American and National Leagues.
When asked about Alonso on Monday, Stearns had a simple response. "In this job I don't get mulligans," he said. Given the chance, the Mets would definitely bring the five-time All-Star back, given their current circumstances.
The Mets finished the year with a 74-88 record in 2026, falling to last place in the NL East after barely missing the postseason in 2025. The Mets had eight players feature at first base over the course of the season, with Jared Young taking the majority of the reps at the position — playing 81 games. He had a 110 wRC+, but the Mets as a whole had an 85 wRC+ at the position over the course of the year.
Alonso had a 146 wRC+, and played every game for the Baltimore Orioles this season. Alonso's results with the Orioles aren't anything new, either. Over his seven seasons with the Mets, he had fantastic numbers across the board and barely missed a game.
He played 1,008 games with the team, hitting 264 homers and driving in 712 runs in the National League. He burst onto the scene in 2019, hitting a rookie-record 53 homers as he cruised to the NL Rookie of the Year trophy. He reached 40 homers two more times in 2022 and 2023, and hit at least 30 in each of his other seasons with the team other than the shortened 2020 season.
Alonso returned to Citi Field in September for the first time as a member of a different team, and went on to hit two home runs against his former team — including the 300th of his career. The Mets clearly underrated Alonso's contributions to the team, and now have to watch Alonso build his legacy with a different team.
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