“Honestly, why I would be angry? For me, this organization has believed in me since I was a 21-year-old kid. They’re the team that drafted me. They’re the team that called me up. They didn’t trade me. So that means – I think – that they like me. This is a great group, with a great culture and great people. I’ve made a lot of great relationships here, with the fans, the coaches, my teammates, the security guards, the clubhouse managers, everything. It’s very special.

So that weighed in on my decision a lot to come back. I get to play with a winning team that had such an amazing postseason last year. You could see all of the promise that we had. We had a lot of good momentum. I didn’t want to leave that. So, for me, the biggest priority is playing for a winning organization. And there’s no bigger stage than New York.”

After a Cinderella run to the NLCS last season, the Mets’ expectations in 2025 are as high as ever. The franchise added superstar right fielder Juan Soto and is expected to get to its first World Series since 2015. So far, New York is 25-15 and first in the NL East. The Philadelphia Phillies, who also have championship-sized expectations, are slowly working their way back in this race and are just two games back.

Overall, Alonso will be relied upon heavily to lead the Mets to another deep playoff run. The slugger has come up in the clutch several times for New York during the regular season and in October. Alonso must continue that trend as the Mets start their slow march toward a World Series.