Mets’ Pete Alonso Receives Record Salary Increase

Marc Rovner is an East Rockaway, New York, resident who serves as a senior staff attorney and director of business development at BETA Abstract, LLC. When he isn’t overseeing the legal department for the title insurance company, attorney Marc Rovner is also of counsel to the Oceanside, New York Law Firm of Adam I. Kitzen P.C. Long Island, New York attorney Marc Rovner enjoys following his favorite Major League Baseball (MLB) team, the New York Mets.

Mets’ first baseman Pete Alonso won the National League Rookie of the Year in 2019, and hit 53 home runs, which established a record for most home runs among first-year players. However, because of the MLB’s salary structure, he isn’t eligible for arbitration until 2022, at which point he could command a massive contract relative to the $550,000 he made in 2019. In contrast, 140 other players will make at least $10 million in 2020.

Alonso could sign a long-term extension with the Mets before becoming eligible for arbitration, but in the meantime the team opted to increase his salary for 2020 to $652,521. This is a 17 percent increase from last season, and represents the largest salary increase for a second-year player in MLB history. The 25-year-old native of Tampa, Florida, was selected by the Mets in the second round of the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft. In addition to 53 home runs, he had 120 RBI and a .260 batting average last season.