Report: Mets' Pete Alonso avoids arbitration with one-year, $14.5 million deal
Pete Alonso of the Mets scores a run during the seventh inning against the Padres in Game 2 of their National League Wild Card Series at Citi Field on Oct. 8, 2022. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Mets and first baseman Pete Alonso on Friday agreed to a one-year contract to avoid arbitration, the team announced late Friday night.
ESPN reported that it is worth $14.5 million, the largest such agreement ever for a first baseman in arbitration. The deal will roughly double his 2022 salary of $7.4 million.
Alonso, 28, hit 40 home runs and had a league-leading and team-record 131 RBIs in 2022.
He is due to become a free agent after the 2024 season if he does not sign a long-term contract before then.
Friday was the deadline for major league teams to exchange contract numbers and/or agree to terms with arbitration-eligible players, making for an active day around baseball.
In addition to Alonso, the Mets announced one-year deals with Jeff Brigham, Luis Guillorme, Elieser Hernandez, Tomas Nido and Drew Smith. That left Jeff McNeil as their only unsigned arbitration-eligible player. MLB.com reported that McNeil filed at $7.75 million and the Mets at $6.25 million.
The Yankees agreed to terms with three of their arbitration-eligible pitchers, MLB.com reported: Frankie Montas for $7.5 million, Clay Holmes for $3.3 million and Nestor Cortes for $3.2 million.
Montas went 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA in eight games as a Yankee last season after being acquired in a trade with the Athletics in August. Holmes had 20 saves and a 2.54 ERA and Cortes went 12-4 with a 2.44 ERA.
“It’s a special day for my family and me,” Cortes posted on his verified Twitter account at 11:38 p.m. He thanked his parents, saying they “sacrificed so much for the ‘American dream’ ” and “always put me ahead of their needs.”
The Yankees also came to terms with Jose Trevino on a one-year, $2.36 million contract and Kyle Higashioka on a one-year, $1.4625 deal, the New York Post reported.
That left Jonathan Loaisiga, Domingo German, Michael King, Gleyber Torres and Wandy Peralta on the Yankees’ list. According to mlb.com, the Yankees agreed to contracts with all arbitration-eligible players except Torres, who filed at $10.2 million. The Yankees filed at $9.7 million.
Players who did not come to terms on Friday will advance to arbitration hearings later this offseason.
Earlier Friday, the Mets announced they had acquired outfielder Luis De La Cruz, 20, from the Orioles as the player to be named in the Dec. 21 trade involving catcher James McCann. He played for the Orioles’ Dominican League team last season.
Alonso’s $14.5 million deal with the Mets matched the one the Blue Jays agreed to with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on Friday.
Alonso has emerged as a face of the franchise in recent years, starting with his rookie-record 53 home runs in 2019.
The Mets saw Carlos Correa re-sign with the Twins this week after they thought they had landed him in a free-agent deal before his physical raised concerns. They still will enter the 2023 season as one of the favorites in the National League, thanks to a strong returning core that includes Alonso.
In another noteworthy deal on Friday that avoided arbitration, Juan Soto and the Padres agreed on a one-year, $23 million contract, according to ESPN.
Last year’s arbitration deadline process was far different from this year’s because it was delayed by the lockout.
It was not until March 22 that it came around, close to the start of the season. The Mets came to terms with no fewer than 13 players that day, including Alonso, whose salary figure was set at $7.4 million.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
