Braves nemesis Pete Alonso overplayed his hand and now his Mets future is uncertain

The Atlanta Braves aren't known to have love for the New York Mets. New York landed the biggest free agent of the offseason and it started a wave of enormous free agent contracts. Soto is now a staple in Queens for the next decade and a half.

However, the Mets were missing a very important piece as slugger Pete Alonso tested the free agent waters. Alonso is not a very loved person in Braves Country as he's made himself a nemesis. Fans haven't forgotten Pete's "throw it again" comments after hitting a homer off of Bryce Elder during the 2023 season.

We all know how things ended for the Mets after that incident. The Braves offense exploded and quickly increased their division lead from 6.5 to 16 games while the Mets tanked. It's safe to say that Alonso learned his lesson that day.

Braves nemesis Pete Alonso returns to the Mets after disappointing offseason negotiations

Alonso and his agent, Scott Boras, may have overplayed their hand a bit this offseason. Spring training is just two weeks away and the first baseman returned to the Mets on a two-year, $54 million contract.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Alonso received a $10 million signing bonus and will earn a $30 million salary in 2025. The contract also comes with an opt-out after the first season. This is very similar to the deal Blake Snell signed with the Giants last offseason.

Alonso turned down the Mets long-term extension offer of seven years at $158 million in 2023. He would have received a $22.5 AAV had he accepted the deal. New York apparently offered a three-year, $71 million contract. However, the 30-year-old opted for the shorter deal because it has a higher AAV and payout for the first season.

He is one of the faces of the franchise, but Alonso and Boras grossly overvalued his market this offseason. His desire for a long-term deal evaporated, despite the Blue Jays and Giants having interest in him. It felt like the Mets would ultimately bring him back but Steve Cohen did mention his frustration with the negotiations so the road to his eventual deal was bumpy.

Alsono isn't terrible by any means as he is a four-time All-Star, but he isn't top-five at his position and his production has dipped over the last few seasons. He batted .240 last season with career lows of 34 home runs, 88 RBI, and a .788 OPS.

He shows up in the offseason and that's what the Mets care most about. They'll not want to flop after the offseason they've had. They have a deep roster and adding Alonso in the mix with Soto and Lindor will make the top of their lineup potent.

However, his choice to sign a short-term contract with an opt-out for the second season shows his future with the team is uncertain. He'll have to hope he doesn't continue his trend of a decreasing OPS for a chance at the big payday he seems to crave.

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