Mets’ Pete Alonso shows why he is the type of Juan Soto

New York – Juan Soto had several questions for the New York Mets during his Free Agent negotiations last winter. One was about their installation construction.

Soto had just spent the 2024 season in the Bronx as half of a historically productive duo that made constant comparisons with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. He and Aaron Judge, the MVP of the American League, were an exhausting puzzle to solve in the line -up of the New York Yankees. The left -handed Soto scored second place. The right -handed judge fought third place. They protected each other and powdered jugs. Leaving the Yankees would mean leaving the judge.

“That was one of the essential parts of the discussion,” said Soto in Spanish on Tuesday. “Who would beat behind me?”

The answer seemed clear. Pete Alonso remained a free agent. The first Baseman is local and revered in Queens. It is even more important that it is a right-handed racket for installation purposes. He is not on judge – who is? – But since his debut in 2019 he has been right behind judges in homes. He was an obvious addition to Soto.

“I told them the best option,” said Soto.

By the end of January, Alonso’s return still seemed unlikely. The Mets owner Steve Cohen, during a fan event in the Citi Field, described the negotiation as “exhaustive” and “worse than the Soto persecution. He left the door open, but that day he also said to the annoyance of the METS fans in the crowd. The organization was ready to continue from the four -time all -star.

Less than two weeks later, just a few days before the spring training, the pages agreed to a two-year contract with an opt-out after this season. The 30-year-old Alonso apparently changed in the past of the Mets to protect the $ 765 million investment of the franchise. Two months after the partnership, the early returns of the 2025 season support Soto’s opinion. The best example was against Miami Marlins when victory on Tuesday.

The Mets, which cited 6-5, had runners with an out in the sixth inning for Soto. The manager of Marlins, Clayton McCullough, brought Ronny Henriquez with the right-handed and, despite the runner, first made the unusual decision to intentionally pass. This invited the basics for Alonso and created a double game with the end of the inning with a legal matchup-obhwohl McCullough made another unusual call from the infield and the outdoor field. Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza said that he was not surprised by the decision of the Marlins to walk Soto.

“I think there is a point where it selects your poison there,” said Mendoza.

Two parking spaces later, Alonso cracked a 93 MPH sinker into the left field gap for a base triple triple and blew up the game on a cold, stormy afternoon in Queens.

It was Alonso’s second double of the day – his first, a Texas Leaguer to the right field in the third inning, drove in the first two races of the Mets. Alonso served as the motor of the offensive in the three hole behind the leadoff man Francisco Lindor and Soto, who hit three home runs, 15 RBIs and a 1.139 surgery through the first 12 games of the association .333.

“It seems that teams are trying not to hit Soto,” said Mendoza. “And before you know it, make mistakes with Pete and he was ready to go and pay them.”

Alonso tries to reverse a three -year decline in offensive production and make better swing decisions after the worst offensive campaign of his career in 2024. It is early, but so far Alonso has been taking off the parking spaces in front of the strike zone more often. He drives the parking spaces over the plate with a higher percentage. In a different way, he crushed on Friday in the METS home start, he has clamped a 95-mile fasting from Kevin Gausman into the strike zone for a Homerun to the right field.

The blow behind Soto, which has a basic percentage as a mead of 0.404, has made his work a little easier.

“He is such a professional,” said Alonso about Soto. “Obviously, we know that he has power, he has the hit tool. He can on average beaten on average. Super Dynamic Player offensive. But what I really benefit can only be seen – because he sees a lot of parking spaces and just sees what they do to him, it really helps because they try to stay away from the middle of the zone, and I can take mental notes with him.”

With other pitches to Soto, the disciplined hitter of the game, becomes more stress for Pitcher. With more runners on the base, more parking spaces – and fast balls – come over the plate so that Alonso devours. It is a formula that is intended in winter. It is unknown whether things go beyond this season.

There is no question that he is popular with fans. During the Home Opener of the Mets on Friday, Citi Field roared during the introduction to Alonso. The fans did it again when he stepped into the box of the bat for his first bat. And then again, moments later, when he came out of the shelter for a curtain call after he had hit a Homerun with two runs.

This week, an option to replace Alonso was taken out of the board when the first Baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Toronto Blue Jays agreed to extend a contract by $ 500 million. Guerrero’s contract should help Alonso from Alonso to achieve earnings potential if he decides to avert his contract as expected and to meet the freelance agency again this winter.

At the moment, in his seventh season, Alonso flourishes as the first Baseman of the Mets to meet the most valuable player in his team.

“That’s why they want (protection),” said Soto. “First of all, to have the chance of causing more damage and things. But whenever you don’t want to take me in, I know that I have had a man behind me who could make it worse for her.”