David Stearns Reflects on Mets’ Decision Regarding Pete Alonso

On Monday, David Stearns, the Mets’ president of baseball operations, acknowledged that parting ways with the team’s all-time home run leader after last season might not have been the best choice.

This past season, Pete Alonso hit 43 home runs and recorded an .884 OPS for the Orioles, while the Mets faced challenges in securing a reliable first baseman.

During his end-of-season wrap-up, Stearns was asked if he would approach the situation differently concerning Alonso, given what he knows now.

“I think that’s a very fair question,” Stearns responded. “The truth is, in this job I don’t get mulligans. I also recognize Pete had a tremendous year, and the totality of our production at first base wasn’t good enough. So now it’s my responsibility to ensure we achieve better success across our roster and improve first base production next season.”

Alonso signed a five-year, $155 million contract with the Orioles last offseason after the Mets hesitated to offer him a long-term deal.

As Alonso’s primary replacement, Jorge Polanco was brought in on a two-year, $40 million deal but ended up playing only 37 games due to injuries, and didn’t make an impact on the field. Mark Vientos also struggled at the position, while Jared Young later provided some stability at first base during the season.

“We try to learn from everything, and I think the entire offseason last year was a learning experience for me,” Stearns mentioned a day after the Mets wrapped up a 74-win season. “I give Pete an enormous amount of credit. He had a really good year. Unfortunately, our first base production throughout the season fell short, and it’s now my job to assemble a better group for next year.”