Pete Alonso and New York Mets ...

NEW YORK — Pete Alonso and the New York Mets avoided salary arbitration by agreeing Thursday to a $20.5 million, one-year contract.

The agreement came on a deadline day around Major League Baseball, when arbitration-eligible players and their teams formally swapped 2024 salary proposals.

Alonso had a $14.5 million salary last year, when he batted .217 with 46 home runs, 118 RBIs and an .821 OPS. The first baseman hit .271 with 40 homers and an .869 OPS in 2022, tying for the major league lead with 131 RBIs.

The three-time All-Star and 2019 NL Rookie of the Year can become a free agent after next season and is represented by agent Scott Boras.

New York also agreed to one-year deals with right-hander Adrian Houser ($5.05 million), reliever Drew Smith ($2,225,000), outfielder Tyrone Taylor ($2,025,000), and left-handers David Peterson ($2.15 million) and Joey Lucchesi ($1.65 million).

Houser and Taylor were acquired last month in a trade with Milwaukee.

Right-handed reliever Phil Bickford was the only Mets player to exchange arbitration figures with the club. He asked for $900,000 and the Mets offered $815,000.

Bickford can still negotiate a deal with the team before a hearing. Eligible players without agreements will be scheduled for hearings before three-person panels from Jan. 29 through Feb. 16 in Scottsdale, Arizona.