By Alex Garrett (published 9/25/26)
I have been waiting to write this one for a little while. The Mets season was defined by a tale of two Pete’s. One that got traded away in 2021 that we’ve come to know as MV-PCA (thanks Ryan Pagano for that idea) , now on the Cubs. The other Pete, Pete Alonso, happened to hit 40+ home runs in his first year repping an Oriole uniform and also blasted his 300th career in an O’s uniform , right where he was meant to, CitiField.
Letting guys go has always been a trademark of the Mets , hasn’t it? Nolan Ryan after 1969, Tom Seaver winning his 300th as a White Sox pitcher , not Mets. More recently, how about Scott Kazmir in the early 2000s? And then there is Brandon Nimmo and of course Pete Alonso in the same 2025 offseason.
Of all the decisions the Mets front office has made over the years , David Stearns not even offering Pete Alonso a contract after he set franchise record for home runs and so much more felt like a fireable offense. That is why I say for Pete’s sake, the Mets finish last !
Beyond Alonso’s Amazin’ moments like 2024 , as called by legend Howie Rose ( https://www.mlb.com/mets/video/radio-call-of-pete-alonso-s-game-winning-home-run) and his torrid rookie year
of 53 home runs, Alonso was just an overall PRESENCE in that clubhouse . If he was still around on the Mets, he would have mediated whatever tensions going on between Soto and Lindor. If he was still on the Mets, what a lineup with Benge and Ewing and Alonso that could have been.
While Pete Crow-Armstrong was not a Stearns decision, the Mets maybe learned not to let go of prized prospects after seeing PCA pull off a 40/40 season in 2026 and bringing the Cubs back to the postseason . He, like Alsono, brings an electricity to wherever he goes, and I saw firsthand the excitement for PCA when I went to Chicago in August, the day he hit 3 Home runs! He became a Cub through the trade that brought Javy Baez to Citifield in 2021! Boy how that deal turned out for my dad’s favorite team, the Cubbies.
Met fans are so used to seeing the great ones leave, why hasn’t the front office ever listened to the frustration and kept some of these guys around even longer? Money shouldn’t be an issue now with Steve Cohen running his childhood Mets!
To end the year , I will say, maybe David Stearns learned this year not to let go of anymore pieces. To end the season , instead of letting Andy Green go, he signed up the interim that actually had a winning record following taking over for Carlos Mendoza . Signed him up for 3 years! I don’t think the Mets will finish last again for a while after this year as I see Andy Green taking charge and mentoring the young kids while being the presence to anchor Soto and Lindor.
Perhaps the signing of Green is an indication that this Mets team will be keepers, no longer letting go pieces just to make cap room or as a way to trust the process .
Met fans can only hope Stearns learned his lesson, for Pete’s Sake!!!
