Pete Alonso addresses Mets legacy amid trade, free-agency rumors

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso insisted during a recent chat with SNY's Anthony McCarron that he isn't thinking about possibly becoming the best position player in club history. 

"I work hard and just want to be all I can be every single day," Alonso said. "Wherever I am on lists or record books, it’s honestly really nice. It’s really cool. But the thing that I really care the most about is having a positive impact on my teammates and having a great relationship with the people who I see and work with every day." 

Mets owner Steve Cohen hasn't hidden the fact that Alonso isn't signing a contract extension anytime soon and, thus, will remain on track to reach free agency this fall. As recently as Monday, MLB writers predicted that the 2024 Mets will be such afterthoughts regarding the playoffs by late July that the club will send the popular "Polar Bear" to a team such as the Seattle Mariners or Chicago Cubs ahead of the summer trade deadline. 

It was previously suggested that Alonso could be interested in featuring for a big-name franchise such as the Cubs or New York Yankees. 

Alonso has played only for the Mets since his 2019 debut and begins the 2024 campaign with 192 career home runs. Darryl Strawberry holds the all-time franchise record with 252 total homers, meaning Alonso likely will have to commit his future to his current employer to surpass Strawberry's mark. 

As much as Alonso may enjoy holding such a record, he left no doubt he's pursuing bigger accomplishments. 

"People don't just remember the individual performances," Alonso explained. "They remember the team effort. They remember the experience of what it was like having those special star players and then also experiencing those awesome winning seasons."

Alonso spoke fondly of the 2022 Mets team that won 101 games but lost the National League East division title to the Atlanta Braves before falling to the San Diego Padres in a wild-card playoff series. The 29-year-old certainly wants to win, but it's unclear if he, Cohen and Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns will get on the same page at any point before November.

"All the other stuff will take care of itself, shake itself out in the offseason," Alonso said about his uncertain future.