The long-running saga for Pete Alonso to leave free agency to return to the New York Mets ended quicker than it should have when billionaire owner Steve Cohen took matters into his own hands to speak directly to the first baseman.
It was Cohen himself who revealed the details that culminated in a deal with Alonso, in his participation in the podcast ‘Meet at the Apple’, in a chat with Howie Rose.
“I just wanted to make sure that (Alonso) heard from us how we felt about him,” Cohen told Howie Rose, confessing that he flew to Tampa with Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns for a meeting with Pete and his agent Scott Boras.
Steve Cohen reveals details of negotiations with Pete Alonso
For several weeks it seemed that Pete Alonso would take a different path to Queens, but according to the New York Post, the player had not spoken to Cohen and all negotiations were handled by Scott Boras, who according to the Mets owner, did not speak at the meeting where the deal was closed.
“We had a very nice conversation for several hours and, frankly, Pete was the only one who spoke,” Cohen said, adding that Boras didn’t say a word the whole time and finished with an ironic comment: “I just want to make sure you’re still breathing there.”
Alonso’s agreement to return to the Mets was for two years and $54 million, and Cohen agreed that they always intended for him to stay, because he is a symbol of the team, but there were differences between what he wanted and what they could offer him.
“We wanted him back. He’s been a great Met for a long time, he’s a fan favorite and I thought there was a real opportunity to sit down with him and talk about it,” Cohen said, concluding his satisfaction with completing the lineup with Alonso: “I’m very excited for him to chase the Mets home run record this year. I think the fans will be very excited.”
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