Owner of the New York Mets Steve Cohen is choosing to wait until after the season to make decisions regarding Pete Alonso’s future with the team.
Alonso, a 29-year-old three-time All-Star, will be eligible for free agency following the World Series. He just signed Scott Boras as an agent, and last month, he won an arbitration award of $20.5 million for a one-year contract.
“I don’t expect anything to transpire before Pete reaches free agency,” Cohen revealed in a preview of the Mets’ official podcast, “Meet at the Apple,” released Friday. “We’re always open to conversation, but he’s earned the right to explore his value, and I’m highly supportive of all players doing that.”
With five seasons of 192 home runs under his belt, Alonso has been a pillar of the Mets’ lineup. His 2022 performance, with a .271 average, 40 home runs, and 131 RBIs, highlights his skill, even though his batting average dropped to.217 with 46 home runs and 118 RBIs the previous year.
Alonso, the 2019 NL Rookie of the Year, led the majors in home runs that season with 53.
“We definitely want to keep him,” Cohen emphasized. “He’s integral to our current team and hopefully our future.”
Cohen praised Alonso’s fortitude and his capacity to prosper in the limelight of New York. Acknowledging his fan base’s popularity, Cohen joked, “I’m not blind, okay?”
“I’m hoping he smashes 55 home runs and makes free agency a real headache for me,” Cohen joked. “That would be a fantastic outcome.”
Key players have a history of signing long-term contracts with the Mets even after they have opted to become free agents. A couple of recent examples are the $102 million, five-year contract signed by Edwin Díaz in November 2022 and the $162 million, eight-year agreement signed by Brandon Nimmo a month later.