Pete Alonso on minds of Mets fans on eve of Amazin' Day fan festival

As Mets fans get ready to attend Saturday’s Amazin’ Day fanfest at Citi Field, one season-ticket holder was asked which player he’d most like to meet.

“I’m hoping to meet Pete Alonso,” Scott Rosenberg of Smithtown said on Thursday. “I’ve got a couple more days to hope they ink him.”

Alonso’s current status as an unsigned free agent looms over the event, which is the Mets’ first fanfest since 2020 and the first under the ownership of Steve Cohen. The Mets say they expect 10,000 fans throughout the day for the event, which will run from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will include autograph sessions and behind-the-scenes activities.

Cohen, who said he plans to attend, is an ultra-fan-friendly owner, especially on social media. If Alonso still is unsigned as of Saturday — or if he signs with another team — chances are Mets fans who get an audience with Cohen will want to chat about that.

“I would tell him, ‘Please sign Pete Alonso,’ ” said Rosenberg, 60. “The guy to me is my David Wright. He’s 30 years old? So what? To me, give him four years. The money doesn’t matter. They need him. There’s nobody they can get now to replace him, get those home runs.”

Still, Rosenberg said, “It’s not going to ruin [Amazin’ Day] for me. I’ll be disappointed that they didn’t sign him. I’m a die-hard. I’m all-in. Steve Cohen is spending his money. I’ll spend mine. That’s how I look at it.”

General admission tickets for Amazin’ Day, which were first offered to season-ticket holders at $40 a pop, are long sold out. As of Friday, those $40 tickets (which include free parking) were going for more than $160 on the secondary market.

VIP tickets costing $950 each still were available as of Friday.

The general admission tickets are time-slotted, so fans are not guaranteed to see every player, but a good time should be had by all.

“We have an idea of who will be in the building, at least,” said season-ticket holder Chris Blumenstetter, 41, of Massapequa, who will be attending with his wife and two sons. “They’re pretty mum on who is coming when, probably by design because they don’t want people to jump their time slots.”

On Wednesday, the Mets announced a partial list of the players and alumni expected to attend. The list includes a good chunk of the 2025 roster, headed by stars Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo, plus manager Carlos Mendoza and Hall of Famer Mike Piazza.

The Mets did not announce what times individual players will mingle with fans. They did, however, release a list of when the players will be available for media interviews, starting with Nimmo at 9:30 a.m. and ending with Mets legend Mookie Wilson at 4:30 p.m. Soto is slotted for 4 p.m.

“A perfect fanfest would be for my sons to meet their favorite players and maybe take a picture with them,” Blumenstetter said. “See some parts of the park that they’ve not seen, such as the home clubhouse, the weight room. I think that would be great for them to see.”

The Mets also are expected to announce a new design for their road uniforms on Saturday. A team spokesman said the new jerseys will not be available for sale on Saturday.

“It would be amazing if when they announced this beautiful new jersey that they’re unveiling, that Pete was the one modeling it,” said Jessie Burke, 54, of Massapequa. “That would be awesome.”

Burke, who was gifted a VIP ticket by a friend for Christmas, also said: “I’m on team Pete. I hope he re-signs. But I also trust [Mets president of baseball operations] David Stearns. I think he’s earned the right to be trusted.”

Fans who were anxiously awaiting the resolution of Alonso’s free agency also were gearing up for Amazin’ Day as the work week drew to a close.

“It should be good,” said Ron Scrimenti, 44, of Massapequa Park, who will be attending with his 12-year-old son, Ron III. “I’m looking forward to it.”

The Scrimentis are regular visitors to Mets spring training in Port St. Lucie, Florida, where a more relaxed atmosphere leads to better autograph opportunities.

Because the Mets haven’t done a fanfest in a while and are coming off a season in which they unexpectedly reached the National League Championship Series and an offseason in which they signed Soto to a record $765 million deal, it should be interesting to see how the Amazin’ Day throng is managed by the club.

“I hope it’s not packed,” Scrimenti said. “It’ll be packed.”

Scrimenti said if he gets a chance to talk with Cohen, he will emphasize the need for more than just the return of Alonso.

“We need more pitching, I think,” Scrimenti said. “I definitely think we need another bat. And, obviously, we want to see Pete stay. Not even a question.”

If Alonso signs with the Toronto Blue Jays — the internet was aflame with that possibility on Thursday — he will make his Citi Field return on April 4.

That happens to be the date of the Mets’ home opener.

It would be awkward if Alonso trots out of the visiting dugout in a Blue Jays uniform, but Mets fans are gearing up for the possibility.

“I trust Cohen and Stearns and I really hope they make the right decision,” said Lisa Gangi, 48, a Roslyn resident who has a VIP ticket for Saturday and whose family has owned season tickets since 1969.

“In my gut feeling,” Gangi said, “I don’t think he’s coming back. If he doesn’t, whatever the decision is, I’ve got to go with it. I don’t know what to say anymore. We’re waiting so long about it. It’s ridiculous.”

Still, Gangi said: “I’m a die-hard Mets fan. I was born a Mets fan. Having Amazin’ Day [Saturday] at Citi Field, which I call my happy place, I’m looking forward to seeing the players and the alumni and all the festivities they’re going to have. It sounds like a lot of fun.”

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.