Mets’ Steve Cohen on Pete Alonso negotiations: ‘I don’t like what was presented to us’

The hot topic throughout the Mets’ Amazin’ Day event on Saturday was Pete AlonsoFree agency.

The longtime Mets first baseman is still testing the free agent market and while the baseball world waits for a resolution, players, coaches and front office members have fielded questions about Alonso throughout the day. But the most notable response came from the Mets owner Steve Cohen.

Cohen was part of the Mets Leadership Fireside Chat panel with Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns and manager Carlos Mendoza where they answered various questions about the 2024 season, their off-season moves, and the players currently on the team. The panel was asked where things stood with Alonso.

“We all love Pete. And we’ve said that many times. I think through this process we’ve continued to express that,” Stearns said. “We also understand that this is a business and that Pete, as a free agent, deserves the right and has the right, he really has earned the privilege, to see what happens.

“We’re also very pleased with the young players coming into our system who have the ability to play at the major league level. We saw that last year, and it’s not always the popular opinion, but We saw it last year and we’re going to have to see that again.”

Boos, chants of “Pete Alonso” and “We Want Pete” rang out after Stearns’ response. Cohen asked the crowd to calm down before giving his side of the offseason negotiations.

“We made Pete a significant offer. And what David said is correct, he has the right to go out and explore his market, and that’s what he’s doing,” Cohen said. “Personally, it was an exhausting conversation and negotiation. Soto was tough, that’s worse. For the most part, we made a big offer. I don’t like structures. [of the offer] which are presented to us. I think it’s very asymmetrical against us. This is close to my heart.

“I will never say no. There is always a possibility. The reality is that we move forward. We continue to recruit players. As we continue to recruit players, the reality is that it becomes more difficult to integrate Pete in a very expensive group of players we already have.

“I’m brutally honest. I don’t like negotiations. I don’t like what’s been presented to us. Look, maybe that changes. I’ll always stay flexible. If it stays that way, we might have to moving forward with the existing players we have.”

Alonso’s camp has been reported to have offered the Mets an exclusive three-year deal with an opt-out option. The Mets reportedly offered a three-year contract worth between $68 million and $70 million, which Alonso declined.

SNY’s Andy Martino reported on this week’s Baseball Night in New York that the reported offer of $68 million to $70 million was in “current money.” There was disagreement over deferrals, but the final amount rejected by Alonso was more than $70 million when factoring in the deferred money.

Scott Boras, Alonso’s agent, gave Will Sammon of The Athletic his response to Cohen’s comments.

“Pete’s free agent contract structure request is identical to the standards and practices of other clubs who have signed qualifying offer/All-Star level players in a similar situation,” he said . “Nothing different. I just set standards for fairness.

Martino reported at the time of Jesse Winker signing that the Mets were going to operate as if Alonso signed elsewhere and started adding pieces to the roster like Cohen mentioned. Besides Winker, the Mets added RHP AJ Minter to fortify the bullpen and expand minor league contracts to a number of arms.

As a backup plan for Alonso, the Mets told young infielders Marc Vientos And Brett Baty to practice various positions on the field, including first base, just in case.

Currently, talks between Alonso and the Blue Jays are “moving forward” but no deal has been reached. That leaves the door open for a Mets reunion, but with the team reconvening for spring training in less than a month, time is running out.