Large-scale expenditure Recently, Steve Cohen, the owner of the New York Mets, declared that he is “not tone-deaf” and that he “totally” understands the desire of Mets supporters for him to give All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso the money, either this autumn before or after Alonso hits free agency.
David Stearns, the president of baseball operations for the Mets, might try to persuade Cohen to spend his money differently, according to suggestions made on Thursday by MLB journalists R.J. Anderson, Dayn Perry, and Mike Axisa of CBS Sports.
“Stearns does not strike me as the kind of executive who wants to commit a long-term deal to a right-right first baseman — even one as accomplished and popular as Alonso,” Anderson explained. “…I suspect Stearns will win out. I don’t think Cohen would hire him after all these years just to limit his control over baseball operations decisions.”
It’s not just Anderson who thinks that way. During Stearns’ eight seasons as an executive with the Milwaukee Brewers, the team had seven different Opening Day first basemen, as ESPN’s Paul Hembekides noted back in January. Alonso putting up huge numbers in 2024 would ultimately help the slugger and the Mets, as Stearns stated earlier this month. However, Perry still doesn’t see Stearns “committing to a first baseman, even a popular home-run artist like Alonso, well into his 30s.”
Mets fans will hate latest Pete Alonso predictions
Big-spending New York Mets owner Steve Cohen recently made it known he is “not tone-deaf” and “totally” understands that Mets fans want him to show All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso the money either before or after Alonso reaches free agency this fall.
MLB writers R.J. Anderson, Dayn Perry and Mike Axisa of CBS Sports suggested on Thursday that Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns may try to convince Cohen to spend his money differently.
“Stearns does not strike me as the kind of executive who wants to commit a long-term deal to a right-right first baseman — even one as accomplished and popular as Alonso,” Anderson explained. “…I suspect Stearns will win out. I don’t think Cohen would hire him after all these years just to limit his control over baseball operations decisions.”
Anderson isn’t alone in that thinking. Back in January, ESPN’s Paul Hembekides pointed out that the Milwaukee Brewers had seven different Opening Day first basemen across Stearns’ eight seasons as an executive with that club. Stearns indicated earlier this month that Alonso posting monster numbers in 2024 would ultimately benefit both the slugger and the Mets, but Perry still doesn’t see Stearns “committing to a first baseman, even a popular home-run artist like Alonso, well into his 30s.”
Alonso turns 30 years old this December.
“That’s perhaps especially the case given that Alonso’s low batting averages and strikeout issues don’t bode well for his aging curve,” Perry added. Most recently, Alonso finished last season with a .217 batting average and a .318 on-base percentage.
Axisa, meanwhile, stated that “Stearns is the type who maximizes value whenever possible” and that he will “trade popular players even in the middle of a postseason race.” Axisa imagines that Stearns, like the others, will attempt to dissuade Cohen from overpaying for Alonso.
Matt Snyder of CBS Sports believes that thanks to Cohen’s wealth, Stearns will eventually realize he’s not in Milwaukee anymore and “can spend to keep Alonso around while also building the foundation of the ballclub from the minors on up to the majors the way he wants.” This should calm the nerves of nervous Mets fans hoping for a different outcome.
So far, Cohen has mainly delegated decision-making authority over personnel to Stearns. Where the “Polar Bear” plays home games as early as this summer and before the trade deadline depends on whether or not that changes about Alonso’s future.