Mets first baseman Pete Alonso made it very clear on Monday afternoon: he doesn't want to be traded anywhere.
"I’d love to stay and I don’t want to get traded," Alonso said during his All-Star Game media availability on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas. "I love [New York]. It’s home."
With the Mets three games over .500 and currently owning the third Wild Card spot, any notion of the Mets being sellers at the July 30 trade deadline is probably moot at this point. New York is only half a game behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the second Wild Card, and 4.0 games back of the Atlanta Braves for the top spot.
But with Alonso's contract up at the end of the season, trade speculation has followed him throughout the year, and even to the All-Star festivities.
As he's done in the past, Alonso made it abundantly clear that New York is where he wants to be.
"I love New York. I love the Mets. I love being in Queens," the first baseman said. "It’s really been such a special place. Some of my best, not just baseball memories but life memories, have been in New York. It’s been I think almost nine, 10 years, and for me how the fans, the organization has embraced me from Day One, not just in the big leagues when I crossed over, but from when I was on the minor league side too, it’s been awesome.
"So I’ve had not just great baseball experiences – I’ve had the best baseball experiences of my life – but I’ve grown up in New York. Pretty much all of my 20’s I’ve been in New York, since 21 and now I’m 29. It’s been a fantastic experience and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Again, I’m super happy to be a Met, super proud to be a Met, and it’s just been awesome."
Alonso enters Monday night’s Home Run Derby with a slash line of .240/.319/.454 to go along with 19 home runs and 51 RBI. He’s currently just 41 home runs behind Darryl Strawberry for the all-time Mets record, and if he stays in a Mets uniform, he’ll probably pass that mark sometime next season.
And while the 29-year-old admits that anything could happen if teams come calling at the deadline, he reiterated his love for the only pro organization he's ever known.
"Right now there’s a lot that could happen, and whatever the front office and ownership decides to do, that’s their prerogative," Alonso said. "But for me, my job is to do whatever I can to help win ballgames every single day. I love this organization, I love this city, so I just want to do the best I can every single night for the guys in the clubhouse and the fans."