Alonso declines final year of Mets contract, enters free agency

Pete Alonso formally declined the final year of his two-year contract with the New York Mets and entered free agency on Monday as Major League Baseball’s negotiating period opened. Alonso forewent a one-year, $24 million player option for 2026 and is now available after a 2025 season in which he played all 162 games, hit 38 home runs, drove in 126 runs and led the National League with 41 doubles.

Alonso, 30, has spent his entire big league career with the Mets after being drafted out of the University of Florida in 2016. He has become the franchise’s career home run leader with 264 homers, is a five-time All-Star and has produced five consecutive seasons of 30 or more homers. He is represented by agent Scott Boras.

Last offseason Alonso tested free agency, then signed a two-year deal with an opt-out after one season; his decision to opt out again follows what many analysts called a career-best rebound in 2025. Projections for his next contract vary. Several analysts and valuation models have forecast multiyear offers in the mid-nine-figure range, with estimates ranging from roughly five years and $147 million to six or seven years and sums as high as the low $180 millions,...