NY Mets free agent Pete Alonso saw his next contract skyrocket then drop in one day

Two significant events happened on Wednesday, October, 22, 2025 which should have Pete Alonso worried about ever saying “drinks are on me!” ever again at any public establishment. The soon-to-be-officially-former New York Mets slugger saw his value skyrocket when he became a Silver Slugger finalist. Whenever someone tries to find a contract comparison for him, the natural inclination is to cite the deals Freddie Freeman and Matt Olson signed. They were the other two joining him as finalists.

In the same waking day, another event happened. Kazuma Okamoto will be posted. He’ll join a free agent pool headlined by Alonso at first base with Okamoto having the benefit of also being able to play third base, quite well a few years ago in fact. He was a two-time recipient of the NPB’s version of the Gold Glove in 2021 and 2022 over at the hot corner.

Alonso’s Silver Slugger finalist placement helped vindicate his contract demands. But with one more option thrown into the mix, everyone has less incentive to pay him what he wants.

It’s no longer Pete Alonso vs. Munetaka Murakami, this is a triple threat match

There’s no telling how a player will perform after making the jump from one league to the other. Kaz Matsui is the perfect example of why the fear of the unknown with foreign players exists. He hit 36 home runs in 2002 in the Japan Pacific League. In 2,555 plate appearances in MLB, he had 32 long balls.

Until the news of Okamoto’s posting, it seemed Mets fans were debating whether Alonso should be back or if Munetaka Murakami was the better option. Murakami has age and power on his side. Okamoto seems to be safer with a likely shorter therefore less expensive contract coming his way. On top of that, he’d be more trustworthy at third base in comparison to Murakami whose defensive numbers suggest he’s a first baseman at best.

This goes beyond a question for the Mets as Alonso is sure to have more suitors this offseason than he had last winter. The attached qualifying offer penalties made him less intriguing for most ball clubs who wouldn’t dare lose draft picks or international bonus slot money to add him. No such penalties following him around this year, high spending and penalized teams have less of a reason to pass on him.

Alonso finishing right alongside, and possibly taking the Silver Slugger, further suggests he is worth the 5-7 year deal totalling anywhere from $160-200 million. But with one less team now likely to make him an offer with Okamoto incoming, Alonso's suitors have fewer reasons to bid against themselves.