Mets slugger Pete Alonso is entering his final year of team control before hitting free agency, and a contract extension has been at the forefront of all Mets fans’ minds for years.
That includes Mets owner Steve Cohen.
“We want to keep him. He’s an important part of our team today and hopefully in the future,” Cohen said on the upcoming “Meet at the Apple” podcast. “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.”
Ultimately it will be Cohen’s decision whether to pay Alonso.
Some Mets fans have made it clear that Cohen, worth $19.8 billion according to Forbes, needs to sign him, yelling that sentiment at the team owner.
However, Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns said at the start of camp that the most likely outcome is that Alonso hits the free-agency market.
“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,” Stearns said. “These things generally end up into free agency and we understand that.”
Stearns, though, did add that the team is invested in keeping Alonso and he hopes they’ll be able to work things out.
Alonso, who arrived at spring training last week, said that while he’s focusing on the upcoming season, he’s thought about being a Met for life, adding that he loves playing in an iconic city.
“I love it here. I definitely have envisioned myself as a lifelong Met. That’s something I’ve definitely thought about,” he said. “And I love New York, it’s a really special place for my family and [me]. I’ve definitely thought of the idea and I’ve definitely welcomed the idea, but I can’t predict the future. For me, I just want to focus on this season. I just want to be the best person I can be.”
Alonso is coming off a year in which he hit .217 but smashed 46 home runs and drove in 118 runs. He had an OPS of .821, which was above league average.
Entering his sixth season, Alonso is a three-time All-Star and won NL Rookie of the Year in 2019 after hitting an MLB-best 53 home runs.