By Miguel Rapetti
Feb 24, 2024, 11:39 PM EST
Pete Alonso’s future with the New York Mets appears to not be resolved until the end of the 2024 Major League season after team owner Steve Cohen stated that management may be inclined to let the player enter the league. free agency.
Alonso, who will enter free agency after the World Series after completing his contract with the Mets, has been one of the players most cared for by the Queens in recent years but now Cohen’s statement points to greater freedom in order to to get the best deal.
“I don’t expect anything to happen before Pete hits free agency. We are always open to conversations, but he has earned the right to know what he is worth and I support players doing that,” commented the leader for the official Mets podcast, ‘Meet at the Apple’.
This initiative by Cohen with Alonso had already been seen months ago when the first baseman seemed like he would enter salary arbitration for the last year of his contract but hours before the hearing he agreed with the team to earn $20.5 million dollars for 2024.
He later ratified his plans to have Alonso in the future and especially hopes that Alonso will make the decision difficult for him, aiming for a huge season of at least 55 home runs.
“Listen, we want him to stay. He is an important part of the team today and hopefully in the future. I hope he has 55 home runs and makes it difficult for me in free agency. I would call it a great outcome,” added the manager.
The way in which Cohen will seek to propose a new contract for Pete Alonso is not new and has been put into practice in recent years with Edwin Díaz and Brandon Nimmo. In both cases, they reached free agency and culminated with two of the best agreements of the moment, with the Puerto Rican with the best contract in history for a closer ($102 million dollars, five years) while the outfielder agreed for eight seasons and more than $160 million dollars.
“Just as we ended up finding a way with Edwin Díaz and Brandon Nimmo, I hope we can do the same with Pete,” Cohen concluded.
Alonso’s performance with the Mets has been one of the most outstanding as far as a cleanup hitter is concerned. In 2023, although he had a .217 average, he closed the campaign with 46 home runs and 118 RBIs while a year before he also hit 40 home runs and drove in 131 runs.
Likewise, his performance has helped him win the Rookie of the Year award in 2019 and he has won two MLB All-Star HR Derbys.
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