Mets Owner Steve Cohen Makes His Pete Alonso Stance Clear, Opens Up on Star Slugger’s Impending Free Agency

The impending free agency of Pete Alonso has got the Mets fans nervous. Despite heavy investments by the owner Steve Cohen, the New York Mets have been floundering. Now the possibility of losing their homegrown superstar is making things worse for the Metsies. With calls of re-signing Alonso growing louder, Cohen had to come out and make his intentions clear. And he has done just that.

Alonso has remained the rock to fall back on for the Mets. But the team may have failed to build a promising attack around him. While that could come in as an obstacle for the Mets, there is no denying that without Alonso, the team would look quite weak.

Steve Cohen wants Pete Alonso back

The Mets’ owner is known for his ambitious ways. After all, he did put on the team with the highest payroll in baseball history in 2023. However, that team slumped to a 75-win season. Despite that, Alonso managed to hit 46 homers, but even he saw a massive downturn in his hitting average. It tumbled from .271 in 2022 to .217 in 2023. So it isn’t a surprise that Cohen wants to keep Pete Alonso.  

In the preview of Mets’ official podcast, Cohen said “We want to keep him. He’s an important part of our team today and hopefully in the future.” Then the owner stated that he hopes Alonso hits 55 home runs in 2023 and makes signing him back a difficult task for the Mets. 

It isn’t a surprising statement, as it has been known for a long time that the Mets want to keep Alonso. However, the interesting part of this saga has been the complete absence of any extension talks. Even during the arbitration window, the Mets only offered Alonso the one-year contract – this left the slugger surprised as well. 

Read more: Should the Mets Trade Pete Alonso Now and Aim for a Future Reunion?

So does it mean that the Mets have made up their mind regarding going all-in on Alonso’s free agency? Could it be one reason why the Queens’ side hasn’t spent huge amounts in this offseason?

Are the Mets using this offseason to prepare for the future?

Despite expectations, the Mets have not signed a major deal this offseason. The team traded away most of its big players during the 2023 deadline. So it was seen as the Mets going for a rebuild, but then this offseason has just been about bandaging the wounds to delay the surgery. But to the Mets’ discomfort, even after all of this, their payroll remains above $300 million.

Any more expenses and it can lower the wiggle room for the Mets. They need that room if they want to compete hard for Alonso next season. This is because a) Alonso ranks among the top 10 first baseman in the league and b) he’s a Scott Boras client. So are the Mets limiting their expense here to compete there? It does look possible.

Read more: New York Mets’ Pete Alonso to Battle Massive Expectations? Pressure Builds Amidst Impending Free Agency