New York Mets owner Steve Cohen didn’t dance around the issue when asked about the future of All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso during the first edition of the club’s “Meet at the Apple” podcast that will drop on Saturday.
“We want to keep him,” Cohen said about Alonso, as shared by Ben Krimmel of SNY and Max Goodman of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com.
Much has been made about the fact that Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns acknowledged early into spring training that Alonso likely will reach free agency after the upcoming season.
Some New York fans were concerned even before ace Kodai Senga was shut down for an indeterminate amount of time earlier this week that the Mets could make Alonso available to other clubs this summer if they are realistically out of contention around the All-Star break.
“He’s an important part of our team today and hopefully in the future,” Cohen continued. “We know the fans feel strongly about him, and I’m not tone-deaf. I totally understand the fans’ love of Pete.”
Certain MLB reporters have pointed out that Cohen theoretically could approve an Alonso trade and then splash the necessary cash to sign the popular “Polar Bear” in free agency.
However, there’s no guarantee the slugger who reportedly isn’t offering Cohen any type of hometown discount would return to Queens.
It’s been suggested Alonso could have at least some interest in featuring for a historic franchise such as the Chicago Cubs or New York Yankees.
“I hope he hits 55 home runs and makes it so difficult on me in free agency,” Cohen added about Alonso. “I would call that a great outcome.”
After the 2022 Mets collapsed en route to suffering a wild-card series loss to the San Diego Padres, the 2023 squad seemingly was a mess in multiple ways before Cohen signed off on a summer fire sale.
Meanwhile, FanGraphs gave the 2024 Amazins just a 30.6 percent chance to make the playoffs as of late Friday morning.
Cohen has handed Stearns authority regarding roster-building decisions, but the owner may need to consider the wishes of his paying customers as it pertains to Alonso’s MLB home through and beyond this year.
