Pete Alonso confident this won’t be his final Mets homestand

Knowing Francisco Lindor would miss, at minimum, a few games due to a back ailment, David Stearns and Carlos Mendoza called an impromptu team meeting before Monday night’s series opener against Washington. 

The Mets’ most vital player would be out for some of the most critical games of the 2024 campaign — with uncertainty about just when Lindor might return. So, the leadership felt a meeting was needed to discuss the absence of the shortstop. 

And three people wound up speaking at the meeting. 

The president of baseball operations. 

The manager. 

And Pete Alonso. 

A few in attendance cited Alonso’s passion. He noted that in his time with the Mets they were kind of in the race in 2019, but not really. They blew a late division lead in 2022, but didn’t know their full fate until the last game of the season and so never celebrated — then were quickly knocked out of the playoffs by the Padres. Beyond that, the Mets hadn’t sniffed the playoffs in Alonso’s other seasons. 

So, speaking for the veteran players and staff who have been around, Alonso implored his teammates. He said he wants to celebrate, in his words, “with the boys.” Thus, he explained, it was imperative the team lock in the rest of the way and get into the postseason. 

It was a stirring way to begin what could be his final homestand as a Met. Alonso is due to be a free agent after this season and the game Monday against Washington was the first of seven straight at Citi Field, including four against the Phillies. 

The stretch began with the Mets knowing where their slugging first baseman’s heart was. Now, they need his bat — never more so than with Lindor out of the lineup. 

In a discussion about both getting into the playoffs and his future, Alonso said he had “a gut feeling” it will all work out positively. When asked to clarify if he meant the Mets getting into the playoffs or him staying long-term with the team, Alonso smiled and said, “Both.” It is not, he said, because there have been any covert negotiations on an extension. Simply, he said, what he wants to believe — “I love it here. It’s a really special place.” 

And also because, he explained, he fully expects to play in October at Citi Field. 

But he is central to making that happen. 

Alonso had 32 homers and a .795 OPS, which are fine stats, but for him represented the lowest OPS of his career and his five percent homer rate was also the worst. So was his .225 average with runners in scoring position. There has been a dearth of big hits off his bat this year — an absence that has not made Met fans’ hearts grow fonder for him. 

And now the Mets are in a period in which so many elements of their lineup are slumping, notably J.D. Martinez, Brandon Nimmo and Mark Vientos. And Lindor is out with what the team said is no structural damage, but also no clear date for a return of its best player and a strong NL MVP contender. 

That leaves Alonso as the most qualified healthy hitter to change a game or three down the stretch. 

A signature moment or two for Alonso in the last week and half of the regular season would only refuel the love affair with the Flushing fan base. Steve Cohen and Stearns do not seem like the types to get overly emotional in negotiations — particularly Stearns. But Cohen has made clear how much he values honoring and creating Mets history — and Alonso is an important part of that. And can make himself even more instrumental over the next 10 days. 

Still, Alonso insisted that he is not allowing himself to get wrapped up in either free agency or that these could be his final Citi Field home games. Nor that — more than ever — he needs to be The Man with Lindor out. He stressed that he “feels the responsibility” daily regardless of who is in the lineup or what kind of season he is having or what awaits afterward. 

“Yeah, this year necessarily isn’t my standard,” Alonso said. “But, for me, we still have 12 games left and the biggest thing I want to do is win and I want to contribute to a winning culture — and this group is fantastic. Whatever happens in free agency happens. I’m not really too concerned about that.” 

Alonso emphasized how much he cared about the culture and the group in a clubhouse meeting Monday when he unfurled an emotional call to action. But the Mets aren’t going to put their money where his mouth is — they are going to need his bat to speak louder than it has all season.