David Stearns bullish about Pete Alonso's Mets extension as free agency looms - "I expect him to be the Opening Day first baseman"

Just a day after being appointed the President of Baseball Operations for the New York Mets, David Stearns has confirmed that star slugger Pete Alonso will not be traded over the offseason.

While there were a lot of rumors about the star player's possibility of moving to another team, Stearns has insisted that his plans include Alonso starting for the team next season.

Pete Alonso was one of the brightest stars selected by the New York Mets in the 2016 MLB draft. He went on to make his major league debut for them in 2019 and has consistently been one of their best players since, winning the Rookie of the Year award as well as finishing as the MLB home run leader in 2019 and the NL RBI leader in 2022.

Thus, it is no surprise that Stearns has made it his priority to retain their star player as one of his first moves in his new position. Alonso finished the season with a .217 average with 46 home runs and 118 RBIs, a disappointing season by his high standards.

While the Mets struggled to get the desired results, there were many teams circling for Alonso's signature but Stearns has assured fans that he is not going anywhere:

"I expect Pete to be the Opening Day first baseman next year."

David Stearns explains his priority decision to retain Pete Alonso

While there have been lots of rumors about New York Mets star Pete Alonso making a move to another team, David Stearns has assured fans that his priority is to retain their star player.

He also outlined three reasons why Alonso is so important to the team: he's a great player, he's great in the clubhouse and he's homegrown.

Besides all those reasons, Alonso has become a fan favorite during his time in New York because of his talent. He is a player that can help them get to where they want to be, qualifying for the MLB postseason and challenging for the World Series title.