Did Pete Alonso send message to Mets with shirt choice?

While New York or Nowhere is a clothing line, Alonso's fit raised eyebrows among Mets fans for multiple reasons. 

Alonso is eligible for free agency after the 2024 campaign and was linked with a potential offseason move to the Chicago Cubs in early October. New Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said earlier this month he does "not anticipate" trading Alonso and instead intends to have serious "conversations" with the slugger's camp about a possible extension, but that was before ESPN's Jesse Rogers suggested the Cubs haven't yet given up their pursuit of the "Polar Bear." 

As for the "New York or Nowhere" line, New York Yankees All-Star outfielder Aaron Judge rocked a hoodie from that same brand in late September 2022. Judge earned American League Most Valuable Player honors before he reached free agency later that fall, and he reportedly considered joining the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. However, he eventually returned to the Yankees via a nine-year, $360M deal.

Mike Axisa of CBS Sports wrote Monday that "it feels like the Mets have to make a decision about Alonso this offseason." That's not necessarily true considering big-spending Mets owner Steve Cohen could outbid everyone if Alonso reached the open market at the age of 29 next November. 

Neither party has any reason to cave in negotiations, and Alonso ultimately could bet on himself similar to how Judge handled 2022. Mets fans made it known throughout the final days of a lost season they want Cohen to embrace a "New York or Nowhere" mindset regarding Alonso's future, and those fans may now believe Alonso feels the same way.