Steve Cohen: Alonso Negotiations Have Been ‘Exhausting’

Mets owner Steve Cohen didn’t mince words when discussing Pete Alonso at Amazin’ Day on Saturday.

“Personally, this has been an exhausting conversation and negotiation,” Cohen told a packed crowd of Mets fans. “[Juan] Soto was tough; this is worse.”

Alonso, the Mets’ homegrown star first baseman, remains an unsigned free agent with just a few weeks until pitchers and catchers arrive at spring training. It’s been reported that the Mets offered Alonso a three-year deal in the $68-70 million range, but the back-and-forth with agent Scott Boras has labored on and on.

Numerous first base options have been taken off the market in the meantime. Most recently, the Blue Jays were reported as a team that might be involved, but no substantial progress was indicated.

Cohen assured the fans that the Mets have made a “significant” offer to Alonso.

“I don’t like the structures that are being presented back to us,” he said. “I think it’s highly asymmetric against us. And I feel strongly about it.”

Soto, who’s also represented by Boras, signed a record-setting deal with the Mets in December. But the fans clearly aren’t satisfied with Alonso still up for grabs.

Both Cohen and general manager David Stearns were met with impassioned “We want Pete!” chants from the fans in attendance on Saturday. Stearns spoke first to offer a nuanced take on the situation.

“We also understand that this is a business,” Stearns said. “And Pete, as a free agent, deserves the right and has the right — earned the privilege, really, to see what’s out there.”

Stearns went on to say that the team feels good about its young players coming through the system — a statement met by scattered groans and boos from the fans.

“We saw that last year,” Stearns said, alluding most significantly to the breakout of Mark Vientos. “And that’s not always the most popular opinion.”

The fans broke back out into “Let’s sign Pete!” and “Pete Alonso!” chants before Cohen eventually quieted them. Cohen echoed Stearns’ statements while adding his own frank displeasure with the ongoing negotiations.

Cohen didn’t sugarcoat it. He didn’t try to pretend that everything was going merrily. He didn’t make any promises — but he also didn’t leave out the possibility that Alonso re-signs with the Mets, either.

“The reality is we’re moving forward, and we continue to bring in players,” Cohen said. “It becomes harder to fit Pete into what is a very expensive group of players that we already have. And that’s where we are. And I’m being brutally honest. I don’t like the negotiations. I don’t like what’s been presented to us. And listen, maybe that changes. And certainly, I’ll always stay flexible. If it stays this way, I think we’re gonna have to get used to the fact that we may have to go forward with the existing players that we have.”

Cohen was met with applause when he finished talking, as opposed to the booing and chanting that kicked off the segment. While fans might have varying takes on Cohen’s words, for better or for worse, it’s a change of pace that the Mets have an owner who tells it how it is. Cohen showed refreshing transparency on Saturday, giving everyone a better idea of just what the front office is up against here.

Cohen, Stearns and everybody involved with the Mets want Alonso back. And they’re still doing what they can to bring him back. But they’ve also prepared for a world where Alonso isn’t a Met. In an offseason where the Mets have already given out the largest guaranteed contract in sports history, they’re keeping the fans informed and pulling no punches when assessing the state of the team.

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