The ultimate insult the NY Mets could give to Pete Alonso

The cruelest part of the Pete Alonso breakup with the New York Mets isn’t even the money. It’s the silence.

The Mets reportedly did not extend a formal contract to Pete Alonso as it was too expensive of a decision to make. For the fans who saw Alonso become a mainstay at Citi Field, that's much like saying "Thanks for everything. We're good."

Then comes the part that would feel like twisting the knife: the Mets potentially turning around and going bigger than expected for Cody Bellinger.

The Mets have one last way to make the Pete Alonso breakup sting

The emotional rollercoaster for Mets fans was perfectly explained by WFAN’s Evan Roberts. Roberts said he’d have very mixed feelings if the Mets pushed past their comfort zone and gave Cody Bellinger a five-year deal after not offering Pete Alonso that — or any contract at all, for that matter. That’s the nice version of the reaction. Losing a player is one thing; it’s different when the organization so clearly chooses where it’s willing to be sentimental — and where there’s going to be none of it.

Another factor that makes this stings is how the Mets have marketed the Alonso decision to the general public as a defensive, positional value, and roster flexibility issue, which are some of the common front office talking points. If one of the largest knocks against Alonso was his first base defense (regardless of whether you agree with that), the Mets' decision did not do much to help "crusade" against run prevention.

They agreed to a two-year deal worth $40 million with Jorge Polanco, a player who has overwhelmingly been a middle infielder and has almost no first base track record — yet he’s expected to help replace Alonso at first.  That doesn’t mean Polanco won’t work. It means the defense argument starts to sound less like the reason and more like the justification. And if you’re Alonso, sitting in Baltimore with your new deal, you’re allowed to notice the difference. 

Meanwhile, Bellinger is very much in the Mets rumor mix, with analysts noting New York as part of his market and the Yankees as major competition. If the Mets end up spending real “splash” money there — after refusing to even place a formal offer on the table for the franchise’s slugging face — it won’t just read as a roster pivot. It’ll read like a message.

Not to fans. To players.

Because in a clubhouse, “we couldn’t meet the price” is one thing. “We never even made the call, then spent anyway, just not on you” is the kind of thing guys remember.