Pete Alonso Took a Legitimate Financial Risk to Get Custom 9/11 Cleats for Mets Teammates

Pete Alonso has been a true stand-up guy for the Mets organization and the city of New York in his brief time in an MLB uniform.

The Metropolitans first baseman paid a significant chunk of money out of his rookie contract to buy the entire club (the whole 40-man roster, basically; this is September, after all) cleats honoring the victims of the 9/11 attacks.

And after all that, they still barely got away with even wearing them.

Alonso spent $8,000 on shoes, and Major League Baseball still prevented the team from wearing 9/11 hats as a tribute. The team was ultimately permitted to wear the cleats, but Alonso ate up nearly 15% of his rookie contract for cleats each player will probably not wear for another year, if ever again, just so he could honor the fallen. And don't forget that the league, for whatever reason, was against the gesture. They easily could've levied a fine on Alonso, further cutting into his comparatively minuscule earnings.

Alonso has been a team leader both on the diamond and in the clubhouse, and the frustration he is voicing over the uniform regulations, in addition to the monetary contributions he has made, is a perfect example of his best traits.

Let's also remember what Alonso did with the some of the money he earned from winning the Home Run Derby, which accounted for nearly twice his entire salary this year.

Alonso is making big sacrifices to earn his way into the hearts of New Yorkers.