Mets' Steve Cohen gives 'brutally honest' Pete Alonso update on the 'exhausting' negotiations

Pete Alonso remains one of the biggest free agents remaining this winter and Saturday gave New York Mets fans an opportunity to voice their concern that the team let him hit the market at all.

That led to a refreshingly candid moment from chairman Steve Cohen over his desire to bring the first baseman back to Queens — up to a certain price.

Mets fans got some face time with the owner during a panel session at the team’s Amazin’ Day fanfest at Citi Field. During the session, fans began chanting “we want Pete”, leading Cohen to provide an update on where things stand.

"I don't like the negotiations. I don't like what's been 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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We’ve made a significant offer to Pete. And what David [Stearns] said is correct, he’s entitled to go out and explore his market, and that’s what he’s doing. Personally, this has been an exhausting conversation and negotiation. Soto was tough, this is worse. A lot of it is, we made a significant offer. I don’t like the structures that are being presented back to us. I think it is highly asymmetric against us. I feel strongly about it.

“I will never say, no. There is always a possibility. The reality is, we’re moving forward. We continue to bring in players. As we continue to bring in players, the reality is, it becomes harder to fit Pete into a very expensive group of players we already have. That’s where we are.

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

Cohen said the disconnect between the Mets and Alonso is over contract structures that are “highly asymmetric against us” and that it’s getting harder and harder to justify fitting Alonso back on the roster as the team keeps building elsewhere.

Whether you agree with Cohen’s response or not, it’s always nice to see an owner forced to respond to fans. It’s also easy to believe Cohen when he says these talks have been tougher than the Juan Soto negotiations. There’s a years-long personal relationship with Alonso, who endeared himself to fans and delivered eyeballs when the team was in the dumps.

Of course, the subtext here is that Cohen was willing to spend more than the GDP of Sweden and get hit with a huge luxury tax to sign Soto while playing hardball with Alonso.

That can’t feel great for the Alonso camp to hear — even if deep down they already knew it.

Alonso has reportedly been in talks with the Toronto Blue Jays while the Mets are looking at internal options to replace the first baseman.