In an offseason where Steve Cohen and David Stearns beat the rest of the league to sign Juan Soto to a historic contract, getting something done for Pete Alonso is proving far more difficult.
“This has been an exhausting conversation in negotiations,” Cohen began during the Mets’ “Amazin’ Day” at Citi Field on Saturday. “Soto was tough. This is worse.”
Alonso, the homegrown free-agent slugger who was on pace to smash every notable power-hitting record in franchise history, is at an impasse with the Mets alongside his agent, Scott Boras.
After turning down a seven-year, $158 million extension two summers ago — an offer sent by former Mets GM Billy Eppler — Alonso has turned down a three-year, $68 million to $70 million offer from president of baseball operations David Stearns.
Alonso’s camp initially made it known that he would be willing to take a shorter-term, three-year deal from the Mets with opt-outs, but the offer currently on the table is clearly not good enough for the first baseman and his so-called super agent — and there is no thought of amending the proposal, either.
“I don’t like the structures that are being presented to us,” Cohen said. “It’s highly asymmetric against us, and I feel strongly about it. I will never say no [Alonso is not coming back]. You know, there’s always a possibility. But the reality is that we’re moving forward. We continue to bring in players, and as we continue to bring in players, the reality is that it becomes harder to fit Pete into what is a very expensive group of players that we already have.”
Since Alonso turned down the Mets’ latest offer, reports leaked that the team was preparing to pivot from their former franchise first baseman. They signed outfielder and DH Jesse Winker to a one-year, $8 million deal — he also said he’d be willing to play first base — and reliever AJ Minter to a two-year, $22 million deal.
Per Fangraphs, New York’s payroll is estimated at $297 million for 2025, the second-highest in baseball. It is still significantly over MLB’s first luxury tax threshold despite cutting some major contracts out of their books this offseason.
“That’s where we are, and I’m being brutally honest,” Cohen said. “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 going to have to get used to the fact that we may have to move forward with the existing players.”
Cohen’s cut-and-dry assessment of the situation came after Stearns’ explanation of the matter was met with boos by fans who were in attendance. They were also serenaded with chants of “We want Pete.”
“I think we all love Pete,” Stearns said. “We’ve said it many times, and I think as we’ve gone through this process, we’ve continued to express that. We also understand that this is a business, and Pete, as a free agent, deserves the right and has the right and earned the privilege, really, to see what’s out there.”
