The New York Mets endured one of baseball’s most brutal collapses this season. What looked like a near-lock for October baseball turned into a nightmare stretch that’ll stick with this organization for months.
The numbers tell the story. The Mets lost seven straight in June, seven straight again in August, then eight straight in September. That’s historically bad territory – only the 2006 Cardinals managed three separate seven-plus game losing streaks and still made the playoffs. They went on to win the World Series that year.
The Mets didn’t.
Now Pete Alonso sits at the center of the organization’s biggest offseason question. The first baseman has kept his cards close to his chest all year about staying in Queens.
“Playing for this organization, this city – they’ve continued to believe in me. I love playing here. 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,” Alonso told reporters.
That’s the kind of answer that keeps front offices up at night.
If Alonso walks, the Boston Red Sox make a lot of sense as a landing spot. They need power, he’s got it. They need a cornerstone player, he’s proven he can be that guy.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller sees Boston as a real player in the Alonso sweepstakes, though he notes they’re also looking at Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette. “While there’s a good chance they either re-sign Bregman or bring in either Alonso or Bo Bichette, it’s unlikely they’ll sign multiple members of that trio.”
Fenway would suit Alonso’s swing perfectly. The Green Monster turns warning track shots into doubles, and his natural pull tendency could play beautifully in that ballpark. After years of dealing with the pressure cooker that is New York, Boston might offer the right mix of expectation and fresh scenery.
The way things ended in Queens – with that collapse still fresh in everyone’s mind – a change of scenery might be exactly what both sides need. Sometimes the best relationships end before they sour completely.
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