PORT ST. LUCIE — Darryl Strawberry was left brokenhearted when the Mets had been eradicated from playoff rivalry on the ultimate day of the common season in 2025. His coronary heart broke over again a number of months later when Pete Alonso signed a five-year, $155 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles, leaving the one crew he had ever identified.
“You simply don’t go away New York to go to Baltimore,” Strawberry stated Monday at Clover Park. “Don’t get me fallacious, however that is New York. Baltimore is an efficient place, nevertheless it’s not New York.”
The franchise nice is completely happy to be again in Port St. Lucie as a visitor teacher this week no matter who’s on the crew. His spouse, Tracy, had well being issues final 12 months, and in December, he had his personal when ache medicine he was given after a dental process triggered an overdose. Two years after a coronary heart assault, his coronary heart wasn’t robust sufficient to deal with the medicine.
Now wholesome, he’s attending to know the brand new members of the Mets, however lacking those he noticed develop up, Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Edwin Diaz.
Alonso broke Strawberry’s file for probably the most residence runs in franchise historical past final summer time, departing Queens with a complete of 264. Watching Alonso blossom from a minor leaguer to a slugger able to overtaking Strawberry’s file was particularly significant for Strawberry. Having performed in New York, and having been part of three World Sequence championship groups in New York, Strawberry can’t perceive why Alonso, and to a lesser extent Edwin Diaz, would go wherever else.
“They left earlier than the miracle occurred,” Strawberry stated. “It’s unhappy, as a result of I like Pete. He’s a superb child. To see him and Nimmo go away, and Diaz go to the Dodgers, why not attempt to win right here? That’s my entire factor. There’s no better place to win [than] New York. Individuals don’t perceive that as a result of they haven’t accomplished it.”
Strawberry does place a number of the blame on the Mets. He doesn’t assume the 2 events ought to have ever gotten to some extent the place Alonso was on the free agent market. Alonso reportedly turned down a seven-year, $158 million provide in June 2023, however he has repeatedly denied it, and some months later, he fired his company that dealt with the provide, and employed Scott Boras.
“I believe it’s a mixture, I believe they each may have fought tougher,” Strawberry stated. “In that state of affairs, I believe the most important mistake that I noticed was after they misplaced in Miami and he opted out. I assumed if he would have simply waited, and simply in all probability stated, ‘OK, effectively, I’ll keep at that, however give me a four-year deal,” one thing like that, it may have labored out.”
It won’t have been that simple. Alonso, 31, frequently stated he needed to stick with the Mets, however the membership didn’t put in a large amount of effort to make that occur. It was clear from the beginning of the offseason that the Mets had been accomplished with Alonso. President of baseball operations David Stearns wasn’t comfy giving him 5 years, and as soon as the Orioles made the provide to set his market, the Mets determined to look elsewhere for first base.
The membership signed Jorge Polanco to a two-year contract to fill the outlet at first base, even though Polanco had performed lower than an inning on the place.
“David Stearns is a really clever particular person,” Strawberry stated. “He is aware of baseball. Lots of people simply credit score what he has accomplished, however what he’s accomplished with this crew, he’s received numerous gamers that may play. Are a few of them out of place proper now? Yeah, they’re studying new issues, nevertheless it’s baseball they usually’re baseball gamers. They’ll determine it out.”
Strawberry beforehand envisioned Alonso having his quantity retired at Citi Area and becoming a member of him within the Mets corridor of Fame. Rising up in a corporation and changing into an amazing participant with that crew is “particular.”
Staying on the town when issues get powerful is one thing Strawberry finds much more significant as a result of it’s one thing he didn’t get the prospect to do. He needed to remain in Flushing after his contract expired in 1990. Being a hometown hero in Los Angeles wasn’t what he needed, nevertheless it was difficult by a poor relationship with the entrance workplace on the time.
Earlier than the Mets retired his quantity, he tried to make good with the followers who felt he had turned his again on them by signing with the Dodgers.
“He may have damaged all the information, he may have been on the prime of each offensive class,” Strawberry stated. “Someday, he’s going to get up similar to I did and also you’re going to remorse that you simply didn’t stick the place you had been at, and what you could possibly have accomplished, and what you could possibly have achieved in New York Metropolis.”
Strawberry wish to hear Alonso’s facet of the story. Whereas he is aware of that Alonso isn’t the sort to air his grievances publicly, Strawberry wish to know if Alonso felt disrespected by the group in any method. Perhaps the 2 will converse privately sometime.
For now, he’s simply hoping the Mets heal his coronary heart in 2025.
