Former Mets manager shares hope for Pete Alonso in free agency

Buck Showalter served as the manager of the New York Mets across the past two seasons and hopes that All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso will commit his long-term future to the organization at some point this year.

"Whatever they decide there, believe me, someone will love to have Pete on their club," Showalter explained during an appearance on the "Foul Territory" podcast, as shared by Robert Sanchez of SNY. "I hope he’s one of those guys that plays their whole career in one place because it would be great for the fans, but somebody else will make those decisions. He’s gonna be able to pay the bills." 

Alonso has thus far featured only for the Mets since the 2019 season and hit more home runs (192) than any other MLB player across the past five campaigns. 

However, the 29-year-old remains on track to reach free agency this fall and seemingly won't sign an extension with the club anytime soon even though teammates such as outfielder Brandon Nimmo and utility player Jeff McNeil have publicly campaigned for the Mets to get a deal done with the "Polar Bear." 

There were suggestions last summer that Alonso may have been a reason the Mets allegedly needed "a significant change in that clubhouse and their culture" amid what became a disappointing season for all involved. 

Showalter praised Alonso during the interview for always wanting "to be on the field with his teammates" rather than in a designated hitter role. 

"He wants to win a Gold Glove and works at playing first base as good as it can be played," Showalter said of Alonso. "He plays through a lot of things. He posts up. He’s a winning player." 

Rumblings claiming that the Mets could make Alonso available to other clubs this winter have quieted down as players prepare to report for spring training. 

Showalter seems to believe that the slugger won't be distracted by any rumors hovering over his status once the games begin to matter in late March. 

"Pete’s strong mentally," Showalter added. "But I’ll tell you what he can do, he can collide with a baseball. His collisions, it’s fun to watch. He’s just country strong and he posts [up] every day."