What action will the Mets take, and why is Pete Alonso planning on!!
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Pete Alonso grabbed a sheet of paper from his locker.
“It’s convenient to talk about this today,” he said.
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The circumstances were different when Zack Wheeler bolted the Mets via free agency, due mostly to his injury history.
But the massive contract extension the ace hurler signed Monday with the Phillies is a reminder of what could have been, at a time when homegrown everyday star Pete Alonso is entering his walk year with the Mets.
Wheeler also would have become a free agent again following the 2024 campaign, but the Phils boldly locked him up with a three-year deal beginning in 2025 worth a whopping $126 million — the most lucrative annual outlay for any extension in MLB history.
Wheeler’s $42 million average annual value is only slightly less than the mega-deals the Mets lavished upon Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander — $43.3 million apiece — before the multi-time Cy Young winners were dumped at last year’s trade deadline.
Alonso had just returned to the clubhouse after spending the previous hour with the rest of the New York Mets’ position players inside a meeting for hitters. During the meeting, he received the sheet of paper, which contained his name and his statistics from last year regarding chase rate.
“So, good chase, according to this, is 25 percent and my chase is in that good range; it’s 27 percent,” Alonso said. “Average chase is 30. So, I am above average. But elite chase is 20. So, if I can get to 20, that’d be great.”
One week earlier, Alonso held his first press conference of the spring, and talk of his contract situation and impending free agency dominated the 20 minutes. At one point, however, Alonso was asked to assess his 2023 season and list any upcoming goals. After listing some things he did well — he slugged .543 against fastballs, his best figure since 2019, and produced strong traditional numbers like 46 home runs — he mentioned an area he thought needed improvement: chase rate, the proportion of pitches out of the strike zone a batter swings at.
“So, good chase, according to this, is 25 percent and my chase is in that good range; it’s 27 percent,” Alonso said. “Average chase is 30. So, I am above average. But elite chase is 20. So, if I can get to 20, that’d be great.”
One week earlier, Alonso held his first press conference of the spring, and talk of his contract situation and impending free agency dominated the 20 minutes. At one point, however, Alonso was asked to assess his 2023 season and list any upcoming goals. After listing some things he did well — he slugged .543 against fastballs, his best figure since 2019, and produced strong traditional numbers like 46 home runs — he mentioned an area he thought needed improvement: chase rate, the proportion of pitches out of the strike zone a batter swings at.
