Mets' Pete Alonso not silencing contract-related concerns

It remains unknown where New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso will call home next spring considering he remains on track to reach free agency after this season.

One thing that's clear is that Alonso seemingly isn't close to silencing those who think he's "definitely pressing" amid his walk year.

"Oh, no, I don't think I'm putting any sort of pressure on myself at all when it comes to that," Alonso said on Sunday in response to a question about his situation, as shared by Garrett Stepien of SNY. "For me, the only thing I'm worried about is doing the best I can to win baseball games. For me, whatever happens with that happens. I just want to be the best version of myself every day to help this team win."

Such comments from Alonso are nothing new, but there are reasons to believe he may be at least somewhat impacted by his unsettled long-term future. Mike Puma of the New York Post noted that Alonso went 20-for-94 with runners in scoring position (.213) across his first 98 games of the season. The 29-year-old homered just twice from July 1 through Sunday's 4-2 loss to the lowly Miami Marlins (35-64).

According to The Athletic, Alonso had produced a .722 OPS with runners in scoring position and a .697 OPS with men on base heading into Monday's matchup at Miami. To compare, the "Polar Bear" possesses a .918 OPS with runners in scoring position and a .877 OPS with men on base for his career.

Alonso went 0-for-3 at the dish with runners in scoring position on Sunday.

Much has been made over the past month about whether the Mets should buy or sell ahead of the July 30 MLB trade deadline. While 50-48 New York ended the weekend in the wild-card portion of the National League standings, the fact the club lost two of three to Miami after it dropped a Sunday home game against the Colorado Rockies (36-64) ahead of the All-Star break could sound some alarms.

"These 10 games are going to create more clarity and perspective to see where the season is going, and not just for us but for the vast majority of the National League," Alonso added on Sunday. "10 games is a double-edged sword. It’s a short amount of time and a long amount of time. These games are really important."

All the Mets achieved over the past month en route to turning their season around could essentially become little more than a memory if Alonso doesn't get into a groove beginning with Monday's series finale at the Marlins.