5 free agents the Mets should sign after giving Juan Soto $765 million

2) Pete Alonso

The Mets brought in one of the best hitters in baseball in Juan Soto. Now, it’s time to sign one of the best power hitters in the sport and re-sign Pete Alonso. Alonso has established himself as one of the best home run hitters in Mets’ history. Batting in the same line-up as Juan Soto, along with Francisco Lindor, would make this one of the most formidable line-ups the Mets have ever had.

Alonso had a down year by his usually lofty standard. He batted .243/.329/.459 with a .340 wOBA, and 122 wRC+. He hit fewer than 35 home runs with an ISO below .250 for the first time in his career (minus 2020). But he finished the season with 34 dingers and a .219 ISO. Alonso walked at a 10.1% rate with a K% of 24.7%. 

Since his debut in 2019, only one player in baseball has hit more home runs than Alonso. The Polar Bear has 226 long balls, while NY Yankees’ MVP outfielder Aaron Judge has 232. Only four Mets have hit 200 or more home runs. Alonso is only 26 away from breaking Darryl Strawberry’s franchise record, and so long as Alonso re-signs with the Mets and is healthy, he’ll shatter that record in 2025.

Alonso’s defense gets mixed reviews. In 2024, he had -3 defensive runs saved and -8 outs above average. But in 2023, he was considered a solid defensive 1B with +6 DRS and only -1 OAA. UZR/150 has always graded him out as a roughly average defender at -0.7 for his career. The Mets can also occasionally hide Alonso’s defense at designated hitter as well.

The most home runs the Mets have ever hit in a season is 242, which was set in 2019. Last year, the Mets hit 207. Re-signing Alonso, along with bringing in Soto, and with most of last year’s cast returning next year, it’s possible that the 2025 Mets could break that franchise record as well. The duo of Soto and Alonso next season could be the most potent duos and most dangerous 1-2 line-up punch in baseball.