Speaking to reporters in Baltimore today, Pete Alonso said the Mets’ winter overhaul didn’t catch him off guard, as the Orioles quickly emerged as one of the first teams to pursue him in free agency, ultimately building toward what he called “a match made in heaven.”
The Mets showed little interest and never extended an offer, a detail that became relevant when Brandon Nimmo reached out to Alonso in November as he weighed uncertainty about his future in New York. At the time, Nimmo was in limbo after being told by David Stearns that a potential trade with the Rangers would go through if he waived his no-trade clause, prompting him to seek advice from a longtime friend and former Mets teammate.
During that conversation, Nimmo told Alonso, “I really want to be teammates with you.”
Alonso recalled his response:
“I’m like, ‘Listen, they haven’t talked to me at all,’ ” Alonso said. “I’m like, ‘I want to be teammates with you, too, buddy. But listen, this is just where we’re at. They haven’t reached out [to me] at all. You have to do what’s best for your family.’
“Everything just unraveled from there.”
Via Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post.