The Mets‘ offseason may have been a change of pace from the recent past, but despite the lack of groundbreaking signings, plenty has still occurred.
The organization has been busy, from searching for Buck Showalter and Billy Eppler’s replacement to rebuilding its roster after shipping many key contributors away at the deadline.
While the blue and orange have accomplished a lot, one thing has yet to occur: signing star first baseman Pete Alonso to an extension. However, according to owner Steve Cohen, that is not expected to happen now.
Steve Cohen expects Pete Alonso to reach free agency
Speaking to the media on Sunday, Steve Cohen revealed that the Mets have not discussed extending Alonso and doesn’t expect that to change.
“We haven’t had any discussion and I think at this point, for Pete, it’s best for him to go and have a great year and not be distracted,” Cohen said. “I think it’s best for the ball club.”
Despite no ongoing negotiations, Cohen is confident that Alonso could still wear the blue and orange in 2025.
“We know how to do this,” Cohen said. “We did it with Edwin. We did it with Brandon after the season, and so we’ll figure it out when we get there.”
Díaz ended up having the best season of Mets tenure, making All-MLB First Team and winning the Reliever of the Year award before returning to Flushing on a five-year 102 million dollar contract, the most lucrative contract for a reliever at the time.
Nimmo parlayed a terrific campaign of his own into an eight-year, $162 million deal.
Alonso could be set to earn a deal that exceeds both of those as, through six major league seasons, the Polar Bear has a slash line of .251/.342/.528 with 192 home runs and 498 RBIs alongside three all-star appearances, two Home Run Derby titles and the 2019 National League Rookie of the Year award.
Time will tell what happens with Alonso contractually, but it appears the saga is just beginning and is going to be commanding the headlines throughout the 2024 season.