The New York Mets’ offseason has begun with a significant development: all-star first baseman Pete Alonso is choosing to leave his contract behind and enter free agency, marking a year since the team decided to keep him.

The 2025 campaign for the Mets ended in disaster after failing to make the postseason in Juan Soto’s first year in Queens. 

Alonso resigned with the Mets earlier this year and has now declined his player option, which would have paid him $24million for 2026. 

The 30-year-old is now poised to explore the open market in search of a lucrative, long-term contract, with teams like the Blue Jays and Yankees showing interest.

“Playing for this organization and in this city, they’ve consistently believed in me. I love being here,” Alonso shared on Sunday. “There are some amazing guys in this clubhouse and fantastic staff members.”

“Every day, it’s been a genuine joy to work here and don the orange and blue. I’ve been deeply grateful for this experience each day. While the future is uncertain, we’ll see what unfolds. I’ve loved my time as a Met and hope they felt the same about me.”

The Mets’ season concluded disappointingly, highlighted by a 4-0 defeat against the Miami Marlins on Sunday, nearly nine months following Juan Soto’s record-setting 15-year, $765 million contract signing.

New York realized after Friday’s loss to the Marlins that they needed to win the remaining games of the series to keep their postseason hopes alive, but those aspirations were dashed when they couldn’t score in the final game.

Soto did impress in his first season in Queens after making the crosstown move from the Yankees, hitting 43 home runs, which was seventh in baseball, and driving in 105 runs. 

The Mets making the postseason looked like a certainty three weeks ago, before an 8-game losing streak turned the tide against them. 

Two losses to the Cincinnati Reds, a four-game sweep from the Philadelphia Phillies, and two defeats at the hands of the Texas Rangers was too far of a hole to dig out of. 

The Mets loss clinched the final playoff spot in the National League for the Cincinnati Reds. 

The Mets best chance to score in Sunday’s game came in the fifth inning, when it loaded the bases for Pete Alonso. 

New York’s trusted bat over the last several seasons smacked a ball out to left field that would have led to runs if it was not right at Javier Sanoja. 

The Mets had the best record in baseball on June 12 at 45-24, with a 5.5-game lead in the NL East. 

New York ends the regular season tied with the Reds in the standings at 83-79, with Cincinnati playing on due to having the tiebreaker from head-to-head record.  

Now, what will prove to be a busy offseason for the Mets has already just become a little more uncomfortable. 

The Reds will now face the Dodgers in the Wild Card round, while the Padres and Cubs will face in the other NL opening-round playoff series. Waiting for the winners are the Phillies and Brewers in the NLDS. 

In the American League, the Yankees and Red Sox will play in one Wild Card series, while the Tigers will play the Guardians in the other.

The Mariners and Blue Jays have automatically advanced to the ALDS, where the winner of the AL East rivalry series will play their division winner in the next round. Seattle will face the AL Central victor.