BREAKING NEWS: Pete Alonso signs with the Baltimore Orioles

Wow. We are live with breaking news here at the winter meetings. Pete Alonzo no longer a New York Met reportedly heading to the Baltimore Orioles. 5 years 155 million. Jeff Pass of ESPN was first to report it. Steve Gellb’s joined by Andy Martino, Todd Zal, and Jim Duket. Uh, and Todd, I’m actually going to start with you because you and I just did something a couple hours ago where we talked about Alonzo and you said, “Hey, it’s starting to feel like this is headed in the wrong direction for the Mets.” You felt like Baltimore was going to pivot after they lost Kyle Schwarber and ultimately that’s what happened. So, your reaction now that it’s it’s seemingly official. Yeah, Steve, this is one of those occasions and you and I have talked about it enough as as we all have that I I’m not exactly thrilled to be right about about this one. You know, this is something that we started feeling um especially, you know, there was signs. I mean, they’re allowing Brandon NMO, an iconic player of the Mets, to go to Texas. Edwin Diaz, who I feel like they had a chance to keep and retain as a New York Met, they let go to the Los Angeles Dodgers. And so it started feeling like there’s a lack of sentiment for one thing, but also there’s a very disciplined approach by David Sterns in this organization right now. And they’re not afraid to consider shaking up the core of this team that has been together a long time and certainly has a lot of talent, but had not been able to get over the line and get that um deep playoff run or World Series run. So I thought, okay, if Baltimore’s willing to go five years for a guy like Schwarber, they need right-handed power. it made sense for me and Pete ends up topping the contract that got with 155 in five years and you really can’t uh say anything but hey good luck Pete congratulations because I don’t think the Mets were going to compete with that um at all and Pete, you know, doing what’s best for him and his family to go to a different location where he’s wanted for a long time. Yep. I uh I completely agree with everything you just said. Let’s get reaction from the other two. Andy, start with you. Uh your reaction to the news? Well, I don’t think any of us are surprised because this exit has been going on in slow motion for almost a year. If you guys recall when the Mets signed um Jesse Winker and AJ Mter in January at the time, they thought that that was Pete Alonzo’s money that they were spending on other players. And the only reason Alonzo ended up back with the Mets for 2025, excuse me, 2025 was that he didn’t uh find more than a three-year offer. He had one from the Mets and one from the Blue. Jay-Z obviously came back to the Mets. So, I think that that experience conditioned uh us covering it and Mets fans to know that this was possible. Uh but again, just like we said with Diaz yesterday, we can know we can know logically that this was something that’s not shocking to us, but we can also obviously acknowledge like just the how hard that’s going to be for fans that became attached to this player and these players. Um, I would just suggest off the top of this discussion though that this last 24 hours is, I think, going to be the darkest, most difficult point for Mets fans. This is the low point in what they’re asking of you. Uh, and they’re and and your loyalty because, uh, Steve Cohen and David Sterns are not just going to roll into this season with the roster as it looks like now. I think what’s coming next, we don’t know specifically what those things are. They’re not going to do something rash to react to this, but what’s coming next over the next weeks and months, probably a lot of really interesting, exciting things that’s going to reset the roster. And now Sterns has the chance obviously to really make this uh a very different team, but there’s so much money out there to spend now uh with these players gone. And there’s so much ambition that the Mets have to win that again, I think that uh today’s probably the hardest day in this transition into a new kind of Mets. Yeah. Uh uh you know, Jim, I I was going to ask you for your reaction as well, but just cuz we lost lost you, I want to make sure that that I get you on this point specifically. Uh I think what Andyy’s saying is accurate. You know, this is this is something that is emotionally almost impossible for Mets fans coming off of what they went through yesterday and losing NMO and the the disappointment of last year. But there is no way that Steve Conn and David Sterns don’t have a plan here and are going to go into next year not attempting to win and not attempting to make the playoffs and and set themselves up for sustained success. But from a general manager or president of baseball operations perspective, what David Sterns has done this off season is put a a major load of pressure on himself. Uh you know, he’s not taking the easy way out. It would have been very easy to keep Brandon NMO and extend Edwin Diaz and make a big offer to Pete Alonzo even if that didn’t look like in his mind it would project out to a better team. So I guess what what does it take to sit in that chair and do what David Sterns is doing this off season? Well, it’s very very hard to do that. you know, when you when you look at it, clearly they were not happy with the way that this season went, but very rarely do you see this much change in this short of period of time, you know, and I think part of this uh unfortunately for Mets fans is the timing, especially following the Diaz one. And I think that was we still haven’t even gotten over that Diaz move and then you see Allonzo uh you know, going off the board too. But I think when when that happens back to back like that, you know, it’s I think reality starts to set in from the front office side. Okay. Well, now now we are, you know, it’s clear the target is on them. It’s it’s on David Sterns to come up with a different iteration of a winning ball club. This the uh goal is still All right. Uh looks like we lost we lost uh Jim, so I’ll I’ll pivot back to you. Yeah, take it. Yeah, I was just gonna say I’ll pick it up from where Jim was going because I think um we all feel like hey, as he’s saying really challenging to be in that chair, but we all know that David Sterns is a proven executive with a very um meticulous and calculated plan. His plan sometimes um does not match uh the emotional plan of Mets fans. And as a guy that is a Mets fan, was a Mets fan since the time he’s been a little kid, it’s got to be conflicting at times for him because he knows that um sort of intense feelings that Mets fans get on moves like this. So for him to be able to do what he’s doing, there’s got to be some plan on the other side of it that he feels is going to be the best short-term and long-term. And I think that’s the key best long-term uh plan and um you know solution for this team to sustain success because um you know he’s obviously a guy that’s very bullish on the farm system. He’s got a lot of resources to make a big trade an impactful trade to try to get an arm at the top of the market. He is a guy that’s shown his discipline in going in long contracts on on guys that he thinks may have um you know uh great upside for the short term but not the long-term upside. So all of those things considered there’s a plan still there. He has it you know as we all are aware of um in his means. He just um is waiting to unleash it as the time is right for him and this organization. But as Andy said, I would expect to see a lot of things still between now the darkest day and the time they report spring training. All right, Todd and Jim, I know both you have to go in a couple of minutes. So, real fast, um, start with Todd and then we’ll go to Jim. Pete Alonzo, Mets legacy now that it’s over. I think he’s still got an amazing legacy. I don’t think people are going to view this as a jump ship by any means from Pete Alonzo. I think he showed that he embraced New York City. He embraced uh the Mets fans. I think if all were um equal, I think beat Alonzo would like to have seen himself as a lifelong Met and a guy that was going to break every record um offensively and potentially be in the Raptor someday. that sometimes, you know, your want, and I can tell you this as well as anybody that’s ever played, your want and your thoughts about where your uh legacy is going to go and where your destiny is going to take you uh are sometimes very different than the reality uh that baseball shows you. So, his legacy to me is still a prolific power hitter, a guy um that really brought the fans in that is a loyal New York um you know, Met as far as um I think he should be perceived and um you know, and that’s why I think a guy like me um that knows him at some level and knows him certainly as a Met can only do really wish him well where he goes as a Baltimore Orio because I think he’s a class guy that’s going to show that he’s got a great impact on this game at the end of the day. Jim, do you hear us with us? Yeah, he’s one of the all-time greats. Hey, keep going in and out here, but he’s one of the all-time greats. You know, from a legacy side of things, I mean, you know, everything that he’s accomplished to this point, you know, I think he would have preferred a World Series clearly, but he’s done personally and what he’s done to the organization. I mean, the fan and the fans how they embraced him over his career. I mean, that that’s one of those things that will always uh stand out. The guy posted, he played every day. He’s the most prolific home run hitter in Mets’s history. Like all of those things won’t change uh at all. It’s it’s just stunning that it’s it’s come to this uh this end so seemingly so quickly here even though as you said earlier seemed like we were kind of looking down this path even as early as last year. All right, Todd Zal, Jim Duket, know you guys got a jet so thanks so much for for a few minutes here. My pleasure. Thanks, Steve. Sorry to have to report the bad news. Yeah. Um, Andy, my my computer’s running low here, so I’m going to ask you one question, then I’m going to go I’m going to go charge when they go to full screen. But, uh, Mets have to pivot here, and we know that. We know there’s going to be a lot of movement because, as you mentioned, uh, this is not going to be a team that rolls in without the expectation of winning. So, let’s look at first base or um or the power because you could you could get power now at the corner outfield spot if you want. But where do the Mets go to fill both of those roles? And I’m going to let you talk as I take my microphone off and go grab my charger. Okay, go for it. I’ll talk until I see you again, Steve. I’ll just I’ll fill the time. And you know, honestly, um I’m not trying to smile and make light of this. I know if you’re watching this, you’re probably you’re probably not um in the mood right now because uh you as as I said before, right now Mets fans are being asked to to take a leap of faith, which I believe is going to work out in a winning team. Uh but it’s a leap of faith nonetheless. Uh in terms of how they do that in the short term, look uh there are all kinds of trade conversations that uh David Sterns and his group uh are having right now. Uh free agency is starting to move. Uh the market for Cody Bellinger uh is going to be interesting as it starts to clarify now that Schwarber and Allonzo are off the board. The the hitters in free agency are are starting to move. And as we discussed this on our Hotto show the other night, uh but when the season ended, it seemed like Bellinger and the Yankees was just a sure thing. It was just too good of a fit for for uh that not to result in a reunion. Uh but the Yankees are really uh conservative this off seasonason in their approach to spending and it seems to me like Ballinger could really get away from them. There’s plenty of suitors including the division rival Phillies, but uh now you have room for a guy who can play first base in addition to elite corner outfielder. Two things the Mets need and he can do obviously both uh over the course of the season. Uh, the other thing I’ll say about Bellinger with the Mets that’s interesting is because he’s represented by the same agent and as Alonzo and Scott Boris, it might not have made sense for that group to have Bellinger sign with the Mets while Alonzo was still a free agent. Uh, because then the Mets would have had a first base option. Not great for Alonzo’s market. Alonzo being off the board, I would think would open up the Mets uh to having a more serious even conversation with Boris about Bellinger. But it it might not be him. They they could pull off a trade that we’re not expecting. Um all every year at the winter meetings, you hear all kinds of crazy rumors about stars going back and forth and trades. Uh you know, rumors that are not verifiable enough to even repeat on the air at this point. But uh David Sterns himself was talking about this on our hot stove show last night which was that trade conversations generally speaking are more active uh in the industry and for the Mets uh than uh in typical years and more so than free agency. So that makes it actually harder to predict who’s going where uh Steve obviously when we’re on uh we can say oh the market for Kyle Schwarber the Mets in the market for Cody Bellinger Pete Alonzo because these guys are free agents but player X who’s being discussed in trades like often those are stealthier and those make it harder to identify what players are available. Like I said, we pick up on rumors. Some of those rumors are pretty pretty interesting, but but the rumors, right? Um, now you mentioned Cody Bellinger, and I I agree with everything you’re saying, too, that the buzz is overwhelming about the trade market this year compared to the free agent market. But you assume Cody Bellinger, if Pete got the five years and Schwarber got the five years and Bellinger is younger and and some respects, maybe not as consistent, but has had more accomplished years at times, um, and is more all-around player. You’re assuming he’s going to command at least that number of years as well. The Mets have lost players this year, whether it’s it’s um you know, Diaz, certainly Alonzo, because they are not willing to go longer term with those guys, right? Do you get the sense that Bellinger would be a different story? That’s a great question, Steve, and I think that that was um that’s the right thing to throw up the caution flag on Mets and Bellinger because of the terms, because of the years that will be required. and and David Sterns, you know, correctly in most cases, prefers flexibility over the long term. This is how a team stays out of having like an aging roster where you’re stuck with old players as you have discipline by not doing these contracts, of course. Uh, and Bellinger uh would create that risk, but obviously you know as well as I, Steve, that his versatility, his athleticism uh is are are skills that are more appealing to Sterns. I mean, and these are different different heads of baseball operations that have different outlooks. When we covered Sandy Alderson, it wasn’t the same types of players they were looking for. They were looking for slug and on base at every position. Sterns is looking for athleticism and defense. So, uh, Alonzo didn’t fit that. Uh, Brandon NMO was a terrific athlete, but his was declining in terms of range and speed and effectiveness in the outfield. And Bellinger is is in his 30s now, but not declining. uh having covered him with the Yankees last year, I mean, this guy doesn’t look like he’s going to get old anytime that you can imagine. He’s such an athlete, keeps himself in great shape, does all the little things uh well. I may be giving Boris’s presentation right now, but I just really think he’s a great all-around player, base runner, leader, all that. So, um less risky on a long-term deal than Alonzo for sure. All right. Uh that is uh that’s the breaking news. I think we’ve covered it all. Again, just a a shocking day, a shocking couple of days if you’re a Mets fan. Uh, and as you said, I think Andy, at the beginning, maybe it was it was Todd, but we all kind of saw this coming with Pete. Yeah. But if you are a fan, it does not make it any easier. And I think we all understand um the emotions of the day and and certainly as we heard from David Sterns last night, he understands the emotions as well. But uh that’s not going to sway what he feels is in the best interest of the club now and in the future. Uh, I would expect that this will be a very active and probably continually surprising off seasonason as we move forward and this will not be the last time that we all chat and we all join you. But once again, Pete Alonzo, one of the great careers in Mets history is now over a day after Edwin Diaz also exits Queens. Thanks so much for watching Breaking News. Uh, we will

SNY’s Steve Gelbs, Andy Martino, Todd Zeile and Jim Duquette react to Pete Alonso signing a five-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles.

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46 comments

  1. Dear David Stearns,
    You have a reputation as a very smart baseball man. It is my understanding that to improve a team you keep your best players, get more good players and let go of lesser ones not the other way around. Could it be that your boss now realizes that he spent too much money on Juan Soto and is now using you to compensate for overpaying him? It's impossible to justify not giving 5 year contracts when your owner is worth over 30 billion dollars. Tell us how do you replace a man who had over 120 RBIs? Furthermore do you expect Soto to hit better without Alonso in the lineup instead of teams walking him on top of all the walks he already squeezes out with runners on base to pad his OBP?

    Signed Disgusted Met fan.

  4. Stearns is used to being out of the running for big name free agents and used to losing guys when they are ready for free agency so he’s running the Mets like the brewers. Unfortunately the Mets are not the brewers. The brewers are heralded for over performance. The Mets are predisposed to underperformance.

  6. Get them out of here. It's a losing organization they haven't won the world series since I was 9 years old. I'm done They're worried about building that casinos get them out of here.

  7. All we heard about how rich this guy is and you don't want to pay the best player you had since David wright ;you just let him go; because you want to be cheap.. James Dolan buy the team please.

  11. Sterns is either going to be a brilliant GM or this will be his last job in the MLB Front Office. He's gutting the team of fan favorites that although flawed were contributors to the 2022 & 2024 playoff runs. Sterns wants better fielders which i understood about Nimmo and Pete but the Diaz part is hard to defend.

    Does this mean: Ryan Clifford/Vientos at 1B, Bellinger as the 1B/OF signing, Carson Benge making opening day roster? Big Trade for offense on top of Starting Pitching?

    Lets see what happens now because he definitely lost a lot of fans within the last 24 hours.

  14. Complete disgrace. This smug arrogant general manager who thinks he is smarter than everybody else. Repeatedly demonstrated that he plays games during negotiations. It seems like always trying to get a player on the cheap. The only way this owner is it going to get the message from the fans. That this is unacceptable. If this team gets off to a terrible start. Fans should stay away from supporting this team. Don't go to any of the games. And more importantly cancel subscription for the Mets broadcast. That's the only thing these people understand is when they lose money. Otherwise they could care less about the fan base.

  18. Todd why can't the Mets compete with the Orioles. Come on they spent $700 million on one player. They can't get their franchise player 1/5 of that salary. I know you work for SNY. Why do you have to be an apologist for this ridiculous owner and general manager

  19. David Stearns needs to go to . I been watching the Mets 70 years now , i am finish watching the Mets anymore , i have enough of the losing and losing , this team will never win a championship . Stearns has never won anything but losing .

  20. Do you think Pete will be in the Hall of Fame one day….I hope he does not go in as a Met after the way he was treated……he was not wanted here…i cant understand it…

  28. If I feel this way, I probably am not alone. David Stearns, in his smarmy, kind of self-effacing way, is actually kind of an arrogant asshole. And I think that this duplicitous behavior probably, eventually, had an effect, on the free agent decisions of both Diaz and Alonso. After what happened with Nimmo, it was kinda clear that this dude didn't really, have your back, and he doesn't really have ANYONE's back. He's just a genius in his own mind. So, yeah, let him recreate the Mets roster according to his own genius. Clearly, loyalty to his own players — or fans favorite players — takes a back seat to his own ego.

  31. I feel like David Stearns was letting us know the whole time that At least Pete was gone with the whole run prevention. You can’t run the same team out there every year if they aren’t winning. I expect Kyle Tucker or Bellinger in outfield and the Japanese first baseman, and a couple starting pitchers, with one being trading for an ace

  32. Kevin. Right there with you. 52 years of being a dedicated Mets fan. Losing Nimmo, Diaz and Alonso did the trick. Good luck with the focus on run prevention and losing a ton of 3-2 and 4-3 games next year.

  33. I've been a Mets fan since 1968. But, I'm done with the Mets lack of loyalty to their top players, David Stearns is dismantling this team, and in my opinion this is the worst I've seen from management. I'm canceling my MLB subscription plan. These cuts have been profoundly hurtful to us fans. Stearns is not the man for this large market club. Good greetings, and good luck they're going to need it.

  34. This is a great day for the Mets. They can now move forward and build this team properly. I've always wanted Okamoto for 1B, Bellinger for LF and Benge at CF. As for pitching upgrades, the Mets can easily trade for both Freddy Peralta & Trevor Megil. Megil/Williams 8th/9th tandem would be awesome!!!. Mets could even sign Robert Suarez and make this a super bullpen with a three headed monster. They could still sign Imai to start or trade for another SP like Edward Cabrera, Sandy Alcantara, Kris Bubic, etc.

  37. I have been a Met fan my whole life I even wore Kranepools number and played firstbase in 1972 in HS. Well I am done have to find a new team to root for so sad and Diaz to the Dodgers bye

  38. MLB deserves a lock out after next season – so much money being thrown around while the fans struggle in this economy. The Mets and Alonso were both wrong and selfish here. What does someone do with over 30 million dollars per year?! Let's see if this polar bear drowns in the global warming of baseball politics.

  43. I’m done w the Mets!!! They not loyal let go of niemo for a bum who’s old… let Alonso go… let Diaz go… and give a billion to 1 player (Soto)… I’m not watching the Mets like my uncle ima switch yup to the Yankees at least they kept Judge!!!!

  45. So much money but not enough players available that can cover the stats of Nimmo and Pete. What the hell is a Bellinger going to do? He can’t cover Pete’s or Nimmo’s production

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