The New York Mets are bringing their best 25 players to Opening Day and that includes top prospect, Pete Alonso.
Take a deep breathe New York Mets fans. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Mets plan to put Pete Alonso on the 25-man roster for Opening Day.
There was some speculation that the Mets would hold Alonso down in Triple-A to avoid starting his service time clock and delaying his free agency one year. Fortunately, the Mets aren’t taking the skeevy route that so many other teams travel.
Rather, they are going to give Alonso some at-bats with the big league club and see what he can do. As SNY’s Andy Martino notes, the Mets plan to use Alonso and Dominic Smith in tandem. Manager Mickey Callaway is hesitant to call it a platoon, but both first basemen will be given opportunities.
This has positive short- and long-term effects for the Mets. For one, Alonso has proven his worth this spring and he’s earned his roster spot. His big bat could help propel the Mets to a fast start in the uber-competitive NL East.
And looking down the pike, this move shows Alonso that the team is focused on winning rather than pinching pennies. His free agency is a long time away, but this move will wipe away some of the disappointment Alonso experienced when he didn’t receive a September call-up in 2018.
Although this is great news for Alonso, the Mets don’t have many options at this point. Jed Lowrie and Todd Frazier are still banged up and it’s unclear when they’ll be healthy enough to play again.
