The New York Mets got swept at home by the Baltimore Orioles in what was an emotional three days for the fans at Citi Field as they welcomed back Pete Alonso, who left the team in free agency this past offseason.

It was evident from the jump just how beloved Alonso is in Mets territory, and it reached a point where Mets fans were cheering him on even though he hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning of their contest on Tuesday in a game they lost in extra innings, 7-5.

This long ball was the 300th home run of Alonso's career, and considering that he hit the first 264 dingers of his big-league career with the Mets during his seven-season stint with the team, it's understandable as to why fans reacted the way they did. Alonso did cost the Mets the game, but the fanbase's love for him is so strong that they didn't even care.

This struck a chord with some Mets players, who couldn't believe what they were seeing. Sean Manaea, who started for New York on Tuesday, even said that he has never seen anything like it throughout his time in the big leagues. It can be jarring for some players to see their own fans turn against them.

However, the Mets players have to know the entire context of this situation. Rooting for Alonso, and by extension, the Orioles, doesn't necessarily mean that they are rooting against the home team.

Make no mistake about it, Alonso is going to receive cheers from the Citi Field crowd no matter what. But if the Mets were in the hunt for a postseason spot, the reaction to his game-tying home run may not have been as warm. However, New York is not in the playoff race, and one loss doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, at least from the fans' perspective.

The Mets fanbase is simply expressing its disappointment with the front office for letting Alonso walk in the first place. They had a few opportunities to sign Alonso to a big deal. In 2025, they reached a compromise, with the 30-year-old first baseman signing a two-year, $54 million contract with a player option for 2026.

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The slugging first baseman ended up having a solid 2025 campaign, putting up 38 home runs and 126 runs batted in as they barely missed the postseason. And then in 2026, Alonso, now in his 30s, opted out and was looking for the first huge long-term contract of his career, and the Mets hesitated.

This paved the way for the Orioles to sign him to a five-year, $155 million contract. All along, New York simply did not give Alonso that kind of financial respect, perhaps out of their worry that he wouldn't age gracefully. In 2023, they reportedly offered him a seven-year extension worth a total of $158 million, which goes to show how much they tried to penny-pinch with him.

Making matters worse for the Mets is that they used their budget this offseason to sign Bo Bichette to a three-year, $126 million contract (AAV of $42 million). Bichette is only 28, and he is playing a position of greater defensive importance (third base).

Even then, Bichette has underperformed in his first season in New York (16 home runs, 74 runs batted in, 1.7 fWAR). Meanwhile, Alonso keeps on producing, as he now has 37 home runs and 102 RBIs this year and he already has his best fWAR total since his rookie campaign (4.1).

Again, the greatest panacea to all of this is to win baseball games. That's what the Mets players should keep in mind so they can ease the heartbreak fans feel whenever they see a beloved former player continue to tear it up for another team.