It is hard to think of the Mets without Pete Alonso.
So much changed for the franchise over the course of his tenure: He debuted on Opening Day in 2019, hitting just ahead of shiny trade acquisition Robinson Canó. That was also Brodie Van Wagenen’s first game as the Mets’ general manager, and Van Wagenen was just the first of an inconceivable six head executives Alonso would play under while with the Mets. He played for four managers (five if you count Carlos Beltrán) and, most importantly, two different owners.
Alonso quickly became the face of the franchise with his 53-homer rookie season, and he initially remained so even after the acquisition of Francisco Lindor in 2021. He was a player largely unlike any other in Mets history. He alone posted three 40-homer seasons with the club; everyone else in team history has four combined. And he did so with a genuine embrace of the city and the platform it provided him. “Pete Alonso gets it” was a consistent refrain early in his career.
It was always going to be difficult for Mets fans to move on from Alonso; now they’re doing so within the same fortnight that New York traded Brandon Nimmo and permitted Edwin Díaz to leave in free agency. The pressure on David Stearns continues to intensify.