For weeks, the New York Mets have attempted to negotiate a contract with All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso. Even with the massive offseason signing of Juan Soto, fans are agitated for the Mets to bring Alonso back for next season.
At the Amazin’ Day Fan Fest on Saturday, Mets owner Steve Cohen was blunt about how things are going on the Alonso front: not good.
During a panel at the event, as the crowd erupted into chants of “We Want Pete” and “Pete Alonso,” Cohen got “brutally honest” about the process. The owner said the Mets made Alonso a “significant” offer, but the negotiations felt lopsided.
“Personally, it was an exhausting conversation and negotiation. I mean, Soto was difficult, it’s worse,” Cohen said.
“I don’t like negotiations. I don’t like what was presented to us.”
Steve Cohen talks about the Mets’ negotiations with Pete Alonso and the possibility of the Mets moving forward without him:
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Cohen said his problem was not with Alonso going out to explore his options, but with the “asymmetric” structures that Alonso’s team responded to with the offer.
“I don’t like negotiations. I don’t like what was presented to us,” Cohen said.
Even with talk of the Alonso deal, New York has been busy this offseason. Besides poaching Soto from the Yankees, the Mets regained pitcher Sean Manaea and re-signed outfielder Jesse Winker at one year old.
In constructing the roster, Cohen hinted that the Mets might not have room for Alonso, especially if negotiations continue to drag on.
“As we continue to bring in players, the reality is (it) becomes more difficult to fit Pete into what is a very expensive group of players that we already have,” Cohen said.
Alonso has spent his entire career with the Mets, making his debut in 2019. Last season, he firmly established himself as the heart of New York’s team, playing all 162 games for the first time in his career. He finished the year with a .240 batting average and 34 home runs, becoming an All-Star for the third consecutive season, and is one of the top free agents this offseason.
But with talks dragging on, Cohen seemed open to moving on without Alonso entirely.
“If it stays like this, I think we will have to get used to the fact that we may have to move forward with the existing players that we have,” he said on Saturday.