Mets owner Steve Cohen met with reporters in Port St. Lucie on Sunday morning, confirming that the most likely outcome when it comes to Pete Alonso is for the first baseman to play the season out and hit free agency next offseason.
“We haven’t had any discussions,” Cohen said, “and I think at this point, as far as for Pete, it’s best for him to have a great year and not be distracted. I think it’s best for the ballclub. We know how to do this. We did it with Edwin (Diaz), we did it with Brandon (Nimmo) after the season, and so we’ll figure it out when we get there.”
This echoes what Mets president of baseball operation David Stearns said earlier in spring training when he acknowledged that the “most likely outcome” would be Alonso hitting free agency.
"Look, when you have a really talented player, who's really good, who's entering his final year of club control, who happens to be represented by Scott Boras, these things generally end up into free agency and we understand that," Stearns said at the start of camp.
While Cohen didn’t go too deep on the Alonso situation on Sunday, he also spoke about it earlier this spring as a guest on the Mets' official podcast.
“He’s an important part of our team today and hopefully in the future,” Cohen said. “We know the fans feel strongly about him, and I’m not tone-deaf. I totally understand the fans’ love of Pete.
“I hope he hits 55 home runs and makes it so difficult on me in free agency. I would call that a great outcome.”
As Cohen said on Sunday, the Mets have had some success with waiting until the season is over to work out contracts with their free agents. The Mets signed Diaz to a new five-year, $102 million deal on Nov. 9, 2022, and followed suit by re-signing Nimmo to an eight-year, $162 million deal a month later.