New York Mets fans have had plenty of opportunities to boo this season. Francisco Lindor hopes they take an opportunity Monday to cheer. That's when Pete Alonso will make his first appearance at Citi Field since departing Queens last offseason to sign with the Baltimore Orioles.
To say this has been a disastrous season for the Mets would be an understatement, and the decision to let Alonso walk is one of the reasons they have found themselves near the bottom of the National League standings all season. Whatever those fans' frustrations, Lindor and his fellow current Mets hope they don't take it out on the veteran slugger. "It better be electric," Lindor said, according to the New York Post's Dan Martin.
"I hope people go crazy for him. He deserves it." After the Mets declined to offer Alonso a long-term contract, he inked a five-year, $155 million deal with Baltimore. The Mets' reluctance to commit big money to an over-30 slugger is somewhat understandable, but Alonso has spent his first year with the O's doing pretty much exactly what he did throughout his New York tenure.
He entered Monday with 35 home runs and 100 RBI with an .863 OPS. The hulking righty can still mash, although it hasn't made much difference in the win-loss columns. The Orioles entered the series with a better overall record at 72-75, but sat last in the highly competitive AL East.
Meanwhile, the Mets were percentage points above the kerosene Washington Nationals for fourth place in the NL East. In other words, neither team can truly brag about its position, and neither Alonso nor the Mets can really rub what happened in the other's face. Alonso is more than $100 million richer, so there's that.
Whether he hears cheers or jeers from his former home crowd, his bank account still comes out the winner. More MLB: Is Another Position Change In Astros Gold Glover Carlos Correa's Future?
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