The Mets and first baseman Pete Alonso have prevented arbitration by agreeing to a $14.5MM deal for 2023, in response to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Alonso, 28, had a stellar yr in 2022, slashing .271/.352/.518 and hitting 40 house runs in a marketing campaign that noticed him lead the NL in RBI whereas tying Aaron Choose for the MLB lead. Alonso’s 143 wRC+ was Twelfth-best amongst all main league hitters this season.
Alonso has been a member of the Mets group for his total profession thus far, he exploded onto the main league scene in 2019, slugging a league-leading 53 house runs throughout a season that noticed him win Rookie of the Yr and place seventh in NL MVP voting. Whereas he hasn’t returned to the heights of his rookie season thus far in his profession, he’s been remarkably constant nonetheless. His wRC+ in 2022 almost matched that of his 2019 debut season (144 wRC+), and each seasons are solely barely above his profession mark of 138, along with his solely season under a 130 wRC+ being the shortened 2020 marketing campaign. As the perfect offensive performer on a 101-win Mets crew in 2022, Alonso figures to as soon as once more be a key participant on a crew with World Sequence aspirations heading into the 2023 season.
The $14.5MM settlement, regardless of being the biggest settlement ever for a primary baseman in arbitration (although it was promptly matched by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.), really is available in considerably under his $15.9MM projection from MLBTR contributor Matt Schwartz. Alonso might be eligible for arbitration as soon as extra in 2024 and is about to turn into a free agent throughout the 2024-2025 offseason.