rewrite this title Mets Owner Steve Cohen Discusses “Exhausting” Pete Alonso Talks

Talks between the Mets and Pete Alonso’s agents at the Boras Corporation seemingly hit an impasse last week, as reports emerged that the Mets expected Alonso to sign elsewhere after the two sides each rejected the other’s three-year contract offer.  Team owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns each addressed the situation at the “Amazin’ Day” fan event this weekend at Citi Field, with Cohen reinforcing the idea that the door isn’t closed on an Alonso reunion, but the chances of an agreement appear diminished.

“We made a significant offer to Pete,” Cohen told fans and media, including The Athletic’s Will Sammon.  However, the owner doesn’t “like the structures that are being presented back to us.  I think it’s highly asymmetric against us, and I feel strongly about it.  I will never say no, you know, there’s always the possibility [of an agreement].  But the reality is we’re moving forward, and as we continue to bring in players, the reality is 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 am being brutally honest.  I don’t like the negotiations.  I don’t like what’s been presented to us.  Listen, maybe that changes, and certainly, I’ll always stay flexible.  If it stays this way, I think we are going to have to get used to the fact that we may have to go forward with the existing players that we have.”

The exact specifics of Scott Boras’ offers to the Mets aren’t known, though the concept floated was a three-year contract with at least one opt-out clause, which would allow Alonso to test free agency again likely as early as next offseason.  The structure is similar to the deals signed by other Boras clients like Matt Chapman, Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, and Jordan Montgomery last winter, which saw the players each receive a high average annual value within the framework of those shorter-term contracts.

Reports indicated that the Mets’ countered the Alonso camp’s offer with a three-year deal (presumably still with opt-outs) worth $68-$70MM, which would’ve given Alonso a rough AAV of $23MM.  Alonso and his reps rejected that offer and Sammon writes that the Mets then pulled the offer away entirely, leading to the current stalemate between the two sides.  According to Sammon, “it’s unknown if the Mets and Alonso have since re-engaged.  So whether the door is open under similar or different parameters remains a question.”

While some gamesmanship could certainly have been at play in Cohen’s comments today, the Mets owner didn’t mince words in saying  “personally, this has been an exhausting conversation and negotiation,”  Cohen felt that the talks with Alonso were “worse” than even the “tough” negotiations with Juan Soto that ended in Soto’s record $765MM contract.  Ironically, both Soto and Alonso are represented by Boras, though obviously the markets for both sluggers varied greatly.

Even before the offseason began, there was some sense that Alonso (as a power-centric first baseman with slightly declining numbers over the last two seasons) might have to settle for a shorter-term deal with opt outs, so the fact that the talks with the Mets have focused on such contracts isn’t much of a surprise.  What isn’t clear, however, is whether Alonso has other suitors willing to offer more years, or at least higher average annual salaries.  The Giants, Angels, Red Sox, and Blue Jays have all reportedly shown some interest in Alonso, with Toronto seemingly making the most recent push for the first baseman.

In terms of how the Mets might be looking beyond Alonso, Jesse Winker was re-signed last week, filling another hole on the position-player side.  The New York Post’s Joel Sherman wrote yesterday that the Mets asked both Mark Vientos and Brett Baty to start working out at first base, with Baty also getting some reps as a second baseman.

Vientos has some experience at first base already, and he was already locked into a regular spot in New York’s 2025 lineup whether as a third baseman (if Alonso re-signed) or at first (if Alonso left and another first base-only type wasn’t obtained).  Baty has played almost exclusively at third base during his 169-game MLB career and in the minors, while spending some time at second base and in left field in the minors.  He has never played first base at the professional level, with Baty telling Sammon that he last played the position when he was a high school sophomore.

Nevertheless, Baty views the challenge as “really fun….I’ve always prided myself on being as athletic as I can be.  And I think athleticism, you can show it off at any position whether it be first base, second base, third base, the outfield, whatever it is.”

With a .215/.282/.325 slash line over 602 plate appearances at the MLB level, Baty has yet to establish himself over parts of three seasons in the Show, so adding positional flexibility is at least a good way for the former top prospect to help his chances of making the roster.  Between Baty, Luisangel Acuna, and Ronny Mauricio, the Mets could let those youngsters compete for playing time at third base, ideally with one stepping up to take on the regular starting job.  If none are ready for prime time, the Mets could pursue a corner infielder of some type at the trade deadline, with Vientos perhaps shifting from first to third base depending on who New York might obtain.