The first major domino of the New York Mets’ offseason has fallen, as all-star first baseman Pete Alonso is opting out of his contract and will enter free agency, a year after the team retained him.Â
The 2025 campaign for the Mets ended in disaster after failing to make the postseason in Juan Soto’s first year in Queens.Â
Alonso resigned with the Mets earlier this year and has now declined his player option, which would have paid him $24million for 2026.Â
Now the 30-year-old will test the open market looking for a more lucrative, long-term deal, with several clubs circling, including the Blue Jays and Yankees.
‘Playing for this organization, this city – they’ve continued to believe in me. I love playing here,’ Alonso said Sunday. ‘There’s some great guys in this clubhouse, some great people on the staff.’
‘Every single day, it’s been a pleasure coming to work and putting on the orange and blue. I’ve really appreciated it and have been nothing but full of gratitude every single day. Nothing is guaranteed, but we’ll see what happens – I’ve loved being a Met. Hopefully, they’ve appreciated me the same.’
Pete Alonso will opt out of his contract and test free agency after the Mets season ended
New York completed its late-season collapse to miss the postseason after losing on Sunday
The Mets completed their late-season collapse after the team’s 4-0 loss to the Miami Marlins on Sunday, going home nine months after Juan Soto signed his record 15-year, $765million contract.Â
New York knew after Friday’s loss to the Marlins that it likely had to sweep the rest of the series to have a chance at the postseason, with those dreams ending without scoring a run in its season-ender.Â
Soto did impress in his first season in Queens after making the crosstown move from the Yankees, hitting 43 home runs, which was seventh in baseball, and driving in 105 runs.Â
The Mets making the postseason looked like a certainty three weeks ago, before an 8-game losing streak turned the tide against them.Â
Two losses to the Cincinnati Reds, a four-game sweep from the Philadelphia Phillies, and two defeats at the hands of the Texas Rangers was too far of a hole to dig out of.Â
The Mets loss clinched the final playoff spot in the National League for the Cincinnati Reds.Â
The Mets best chance to score in Sunday’s game came in the fifth inning, when it loaded the bases for Pete Alonso.Â
New York’s trusted bat over the last several seasons smacked a ball out to left field that would have led to runs if it was not right at Javier Sanoja.Â
New York Mets CEO Steve Cohen now has a huge offseason ahead after no playoff berth
The Mets had the best record in baseball on June 12 at 45-24, with a 5.5-game lead in the NL East.Â
New York ends the regular season tied with the Reds in the standings at 83-79, with Cincinnati playing on due to having the tiebreaker from head-to-head record. Â
Now, what will prove to be a busy offseason for the Mets has already just become a little more uncomfortable.Â
The Reds will now face the Dodgers in the Wild Card round, while the Padres and Cubs will face in the other NL opening-round playoff series. Waiting for the winners are the Phillies and Brewers in the NLDS.Â
In the American League, the Yankees and Red Sox will play in one Wild Card series, while the Tigers will play the Guardians in the other.
The Mariners and Blue Jays have automatically advanced to the ALDS, where the winner of the AL East rivalry series will play their division winner in the next round. Seattle will face the AL Central victor.Â
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Mets star enters free agency in stunning move after team misses playoffs after Juan Soto’s first season