NEW York Mets owner Steve Cohen claims he contract negotiations with Pete Alonso are “exhausting.”
And Cohen cryptically said the team were “moving forward” towards the 2025 season.
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The Mets hosted a winter fan event this weekend.
They recently signed former New York Yankees star Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million deal.
But one of the overriding topics was the future of somebody who may have played his last game as a New York Met.
Alonso, 30, has been with the team since 2019 but is now a free agent.
And he has yet to agree a new contract for 2025 as he seeks a big contract to match his talent and production.
“Personally, this has been an exhausting conversation and negotiation,” Cohen said.
“Juan Soto’s was tough – this is worse.
“We’ve made a significant offer but I don’t like the structures that are being presented back to us.
“I think it’s highly asymmetric against us, and I feel strongly about it.”
Fans chanted Alonso’s name at the fan event and haven’t given up hope of seeing him return to Citi Field.
“I will never say no,” Cohen said.
“There’s always the possibility but the reality is we’re moving forward and we continue to bring in players.
“As we continue to bring in players, the reality is it becomes harder to fit Pete into what is a very expensive group of players that we already have, and that’s where we are.”
Cohen added, “I’ll always stay flexible. But if it stays this way, I think we’re going to have to get used to the fact that we may have to go forward with the existing players that we have.”
Alonso was reportedly offered a three-year deal in the range of $70 million.
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President of baseball operations David Stearns was also pressed on the Alonso contract situation.
“We all love Pete, and we’ve said that many times,” Stearns said.
“And I think, as we’ve gone through this process, we’ve continued to express that.
“We also understand that this is a business and Pete, as a free agent, deserves the right and has the right and earned the privilege to see what’s out there.
“We also feel really good about the young players who are coming through our system who have the ability to play at the major league level.”