1 reason why the Mets will end up extending Pete Alonso, 3 reasons they won't

The Mets won't extend Pete Alonso because he'll re-sign as a free agent

Let’s say the Mets actually don’t trade Alonso mid-year. Then what? He can always follow the route of many other free agents. Don’t forget Brandon Nimmo reached free agency last winter only to return on a lucrative deal. This is probably the likeliest path toward a lifelong relationship with Alonso.

Losing Alonso at any point puts a strain on the chances of him remaining with the Mets. Entering free agency for a month or two shouldn’t be as detrimental as a trade would be. It’s like a breakup where you both stay single and get back together a few weeks later. A trade, on the other hand, is a short relationship with someone else before you run into each other again. The “we were on a break” line only works on sitcoms and even there it often leads to a couple of years apart.

Alonso testing the free agent market is something we should prepare ourselves for. With the Boras Corporation at his side, it seems inevitable.

For all of the same reasons the Mets may let him walk, other teams could be disinterested. Far too many long-term deals with first basemen have aged poorly. Alonso will need to have a season in 2024 that’s about more than hitting for power if he wants to reset the market for players at his position. Would it be the worst thing if he has some struggles? We shouldn’t root for it and yet this could be one of the ways other teams turn away and he lands back with the Mets.