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If the New York Mets expect to keep slugging first baseman Pete Alonso beyond 2024, they’re likely going to have to wait until he hits the free-agent market, Mets general manager David Stearns said Monday.

Alonso, a three-time All-Star who has 192 home runs in his five seasons, all with New York, will make $20.5 million this year via a one-year contract he signed in his final season of arbitration eligibility.

The National League Rookie of the Year in 2019, when he led the majors with 53 homers, Alonso hit 46 more last season, although his batting average dropped to a career-low. 217.

Just as significantly, Alonso is now represented by agent Scott Boras, who is widely known for urging his clients to await free agency before signing new contracts.

Stearns acknowledged that it’s “probably the most likely outcome” that negotiations with Alonso would not take place until after this coming season.

“But, look, when you have a really talented player, who’s really good, who’s entering his final year of club control, who happens to be represented by Scott Boras, these things generally end up into free agency, and we understand that. This is an organization that’s dealt with that before,” Stears said at a news conference.

The Mets won 101 games in 2022 but lost to the San Diego Padres in the NL wild-card round of the postseason. They fell to 75-87, fourth in the NL East, despite big spending before the 2023 campaign, and traded away a number of players, among them Cy Young winners Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.

–Field Level Media