Paul Articulates - Do something, for Pete's sake!

Pete Alonso is not happy.  That is not a good thing for New York Mets fans.

Why do I think Pete is not happy?  It is not because he is splintering bats over his knee or smashing a helmet in the dugout.  That’s just frustration talking from a guy who takes pride in what he does and hates to fail.  Pete wears his emotions on his face.  He has several displays – frustrated, focused, energized, and angry.  Lately he has displayed some anger and disappointment, but very little other emotion.  When he chats with opponents on first base, you can usually see a little bit of a smile or a laugh – but not in the last month or two.  When he circles the bases after a home run, you can usually see some satisfaction or an energized look – but not in the last month or two – he still looks pissed.

Why is Pete not happy?  Well, like most Mets fans he certainly has frustration about this season.  It has not played out well for the team, and although he is still putting up impressive power numbers (on track for 40+ HR and 100+ RBI) he is not carrying a batting average (.224) or OPS (.856) that he expects to at this point in his career.  They are both below his career averages of .254 and .878.  But that kind of frustration creates resolve and I don’t see resolve in his face.  Something else is bothering Pete.  

Pete is coming up on his last year of team control – after the 2024 he will have obtained enough MLB experience to be an unrestricted free agent.  The Mets have not yet offered him an extension that we know of and it is getting late for someone who is at the core of this team.  This could make him unhappy if there are discussions going on behind the scenes that are making him feel undervalued.

Pete has been the subject of some unfriendly rumors over the last few months – a ridiculous attention-seeking claim by Sal Licata that he was part of a “toxic” environment in the clubhouse.  Other rumors had him being offered in trades, of which none have come to pass.  This would make anyone unhappy, but players are instructed to ignore the media because the media by nature is critical and can get under someone’s skin in a hurry.

I am not going to speculate about the source of Pete’s unhappiness because I don’t know and I’m not afraid to admit it.

I will make some projections though – if Pete remains unhappy things will not go well for this team.  Pete is a power-hitting star with an extremely relatable personality that is the perfect match for the big city team.  He is not only a run producer for the club, he is a box office draw like few others, especially since Jake left town.  There are other great first basemen in MLB and some of them may be better players, but Pete is the best piece the Mets can put in the right corner of their infield. Period.

One thing that could make him happy of course is winning – but that’s not happening this year as the retooling is already in process.  Another thing would be an extension.  That’s going to be a tough decision for the Mets’ leadership as articulated in Mike Steffanos’ article on August 17th.  Pete is a 28 year old power hitter that has the leverage to demand a long term, high dollar contract but the book on power hitting players that preceded him says that they lose effectiveness fairly early in their 30’s.   It is likely that any contract he would accept is going to be overvalued in the final few years.  To me, that’s a price worth paying.  The Mets need that power bat to build a winner around now.  They need the star power to draw the crowds, rake in the revenues, and headline the advertisements.  Waiting for the bidding war to start at the end of the 2024 season would be a regrettable decision.