The New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, Pete Alonso, and agent Scott Boras were in a fix. Alonso and Boras didn’t want to move far from their demands and Steve Cohen didn’t want to agree. Remember Cohen coming out in public, talking about how ‘exhausting’ the entire deal was? In his words, it was even worse than Juan Soto.

But the Mets fans had spoken. “We want Pete, we want Pete” chants were heard across the fanfest. They didn’t care about the contract and the terms. They just want their franchise hero, their star back. PERIOD! And hence it’s no surprise that Pete is back to the Queens. After months of speculation, he signed a two-year, $54 million deal as per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

The Mets fans must be celebrating now. Because for a while it did look like Alonso was saying his goodbye to Flushing. However, not everyone believed so, at least, not Gary Cohen. He was sure that Alonso would be in the same uniform again. He also gave bold statements like how the Mets were already a winning team, and getting Alonso now seems like a cherry on top.

Talking on SNY, Gary Cohen said, “Even without Alonso, they would have gone in as the favorites. Now, I think they absolutely are the favorites in the National League East. The Mets won the offseason.” Well, that’s a bold statement! But right now, much like the Dodgers, even Mets fans are feeling more or less thrilled about the coming season. And it’s hard to argue with Cohen, isn’t it?

The New York Mets had already pulled a blockbuster deal, landing the gem of the season, Juan Soto. Not only that, they ended up resigning Sean Manea. They got Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas and also AJ Mintor and Jesse Winker. And as Cohen puts it, “Now, the icing on the cake is getting Pete Alonso.” And it’s true because even if Alonso’s last season was rough, he still packs power. He is, in fact, just 26 homers away from breaking Darryl Strawberry’s franchise record.

Alonso also smashed 226 homers in the last six years and is second only to Aaron Judge since 2019. So, yes, he is the icing on the cake for the Mets lineup. And if he comes back to full form, the lineup will be downright scary. Soto and Alonso handling the offense could mean they are not looking for just a division title but an October run. And according to Cohen, they’re set up to do just that.

The polar bear is back, and everyone is excited!

So, the 30-year-old slugger will be rocking the blue and white for another year at least. And let’s just say his teammates couldn’t be any happier. The New York Mets clubhouse wasted no time in celebrating the return of their first baseman with reactions pouring across social media. Mets third baseman Mark Vientos was one of the first to chime in. He shared an Instagram story featuring Pete Alonso and his return. The story had a simple polar bear emoji. Isn’t that adorable?

Mets fans know the nickname well, a moniker for Alonso by Todd Frazier during spring training back in 2019. And since then the name has stuck with Alonso so far. It perfectly highlights his loving personality and his crazy power. Even Mets center fielder Starling Marte posted a story with the caption El Oso. It means the bear in Spanish!

Mets broadcaster Howie Rose also joined in the excitement, with a post on X, “Maybe Pete Alonso plays just one more year with the Mets, opts out, and leaves. Maybe he plays his entire career with the Mets. Either way, if he stays healthy, sometime this summer he should become the franchise’s all-time home run leader. That’s pretty cool. Welcome back, Pete!” Former Mets shortstop Jose Reyes also, in true Reyes fashion, said, “THANKS TO ME FOR CLOSING THE DEAL ON SNY TODAY!”

Yes, everyone is more than thrilled with the much-awaited homecoming. Were you ever in doubt that he wouldn’t be back?