Opinions of the disastrous 2026 New York Mets season will continue to go from bad to worse as erstwhile franchise icon Pete Alonso sets single-season MLB RBI record in first season with Baltimore Orioles.
At this rate, the New York Mets might be best off to just lay back and cry, "Uncle!" as they contemplate the charred remains of their 2026 season.
It's bad enough that almost all of their offseason moves prior to the 2026 season failed because of either subpar player performance or injuries, but their most high-profile decision - choosing not to offer free-agent first baseman Pete Alonso a contract - just went from bad to worse.
That's because the beloved "Polar Bear" concluded the first season of his five-year, $155-million contract with the Baltimore Orioles by leading the American League with 113 RBIs. Coupled with the 131 RBIs he had for the Mets in 2022, which led the National League, Alonso is now the first player in MLB history to lead each league in RBIs in a season. For context, RBIs became an official stat in 1920 and for 106 years no one had done what Alonso just did.
Additionally, Alonso also led the AL with 43 home runs, which gave him a bookend for the NL-best 53 homers he hit while winning NL Rookie of the Year for the Mets in 2019. It also made him the sixth player to win an HR title in both leagues, joining Shohei Ohtani, Mark McGwire, Fred McGriff, Sam Crawford and Buck Freeman.
Alonso's 2026 feats also left his new teammates in Baltimore awestruck, according to a report by Jake Rill of MLB.com.
“He could very well be a Hall of Famer when it’s all said and done,” said left-handed reliever Trevor Rogers. “The fact that I played with him and saw how he went about his business every day, it’s special.”
Added shortstop Gunnar Henderson: “His year has been unbelievable. You just laugh every time he hits a homer now. It’s so cool to watch. It’s so fun to be a part of and to be on the team with him. He’s been just awesome to have around, and [I'm] really looking forward to playing with him for many years.”
When the Mets chose not to re-sign Alonso after he opted out of his pact following the 2025 season, the reasoning was that as Alonso moved into his 30s his fielding at first base, which had never been stellar, would continue to decline. A case could be made for that, but that case went out the window when New York subsequently signed Jorge Polanco, who was two years older than Alonso and had played a grand total of one game at first in his career, to replace Alonso.
That decision came crashing down on the Mets in mid-September when Alonso and Baltimore visited Citi Field for three games. With the adoring Mets fans cheering his every move, Alonso chose the series to hit his 300th career homer, which even got a standing ovation from New York owner Steve Cohen.
In all, Alonso hit two HRs as the Orioles swept the series, with that home run total matching what Polanco produced in 37 injury-plagued games for the Mets this season.
For his part, Alonso has moved on, professing frustration that the Orioles were unable to advance to the playoffs this season, but vowing to do all he could to make the postseason a reality for his new team in 2027.
“I just want to leave it all out there,” Alonso said, according to the MLB.com report. “I really love playing the game, and for me, I just want to be all I can be and do whatever I can every single night to win the game, you know? I really take pride in wanting to win and giving it all I have.”
The Mets can only hope their next generation of players like Carson Benge, Nolan McLean, A.J. Ewing and Francisco Alvarez possess the same commitment and drive as the dearly departed Polar Bear.
