New York Mets proprietor Steve Cohen did not dance across the situation when requested about the way forward for All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso through the first version of the membership’s “Meet on the Apple” podcast that can drop on Saturday.
“We need to hold him,” Cohen stated about Alonso, as shared by Ben Krimmel of SNY and Max Goodman of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com.
A lot has been made about the truth that Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns acknowledged early into spring coaching that Alonso possible will attain free company after the upcoming season.
Some New York followers have been involved even earlier than ace Kodai Senga was shut down for an indeterminate period of time earlier this week that the Mets might make Alonso accessible to different golf equipment this summer season if they’re realistically out of rivalry across the All-Star break.
“He’s an vital a part of our crew at present and hopefully sooner or later,” Cohen continued. “We all know the followers really feel strongly about him, and I’m not tone-deaf. I completely perceive the followers’ love of Pete.”
Sure MLB reporters have identified that Cohen theoretically might approve an Alonso commerce after which splash the mandatory money to signal the favored “Polar Bear” in free company.
Nonetheless, there isn’t any assure the slugger who reportedly is not providing Cohen any kind of hometown low cost would return to Queens.
It has been recommended Alonso might have not less than some curiosity in that includes for a historic franchise such because the Chicago Cubs or New York Yankees.
“I hope he hits 55 residence runs and makes it so troublesome on me in free company,” Cohen added about Alonso. “I might name that an incredible end result.”
After the 2022 Mets collapsed en path to struggling a wild-card sequence loss to the San Diego Padres, the 2023 squad seemingly was a large number in a number of methods earlier than Cohen signed off on a summer season fireplace sale.
In the meantime, FanGraphs gave the 2024 Amazins only a 30.6 p.c probability to make the playoffs as of late Friday morning.
Cohen has handed Stearns authority relating to roster-building choices, however the proprietor may have to think about the needs of his paying prospects because it pertains to Alonso’s MLB residence by means of and past this yr.
