PORT ST. LUCIE — Of all the numbers Pete Alonso can bring to the Mets lineup, the one that resonated maybe the loudest to his manager last season was 162.
That is, Alonso played all 162 games for the Mets in the regular season, keeping a constant presence in the middle of the lineup.
Alonso last week agreed to a two-year deal worth $54 million for a return to the Mets, and although his deal has not yet been announced by the club — Alonso was due to receive a physical on Tuesday — manager Carlos Mendoza admitted in his first news conference of spring training that he was happy to know who will be playing first base every day.
“You don’t have to worry about him — there is a lot of days where he is not feeling at his best and he’s still going to post,” Mendoza said. “Last year, there were days when I didn’t feel he was going to be a player for us and he kept pushing it and ‘I’m playing,’ so that’s what I feel.”
If Alonso didn’t return, the Mets were prepared to move Mark Vientos to first base, opening the possibility that Brett Baty or Luisangel Acuña would be the starter at third.
Alonso last season delivered a career-low .788 OPS and was hindered in free agency after the Mets extended him a qualifying offer.
It meant that any team other than the Mets that signed him would have to surrender a draft pick.
Alonso’s new contract contains an opt-out after this season, allowing him to become a free agent again next winter (he cannot receive another qualifying offer).
Alonso’s deal materialized last week, after team owner Steve Cohen flew to Tampa and met with the first baseman for about three hours.
Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns made it clear to Alonso that he was still wanted.
“The whole offseason was whether [Alonso] was going to come back again or not, and hopefully we can talk more soon here, but we know what he brings to the table,” Mendoza said.
“This is a guy that played every game for us last year. His personality, how much he wanted to be here and accomplish the ultimate goal. He enjoys our city and our fan base. He brings a lot and I am excited.”
