The New York Mets signed first baseman Pete Alonso to a two-year, $54 million contract earlier this month after months of tense talks.
Only a few weeks ago, that result was starting to look improbable. At several moments over this winter, the Mets hierarchy sounded pessimistic about keeping the homegrown talent, and it seemed like the two sides had at a standstill.
As the long-simmering talks came to a head, Mets owner Steve Cohen even got into a public back-and-forth argument with agent Scott Boras. Cohen described the discussions as “exhausting” at the January Amazin’ Day fan gathering, accusing Boras of making “highly asymmetric” counteroffers against the club. In a swift reaction, Boras asserted that their offers were the same as the “standards and practices” of contracts that elite players had signed with other teams.
In the end, Cohen and David Stearns, president of baseball operations for the Mets, traveled to Tampa, Florida, to meet with Alonso and Boras. In the end, the parties concerned worked out their differences—at least with Alonso—at that meeting
After acquiring Pete Alonso, Steve Cohen made another sarcastic remark about Scott Boras.
Cohen claimed responsibility for the meeting and managed to get in another shot at Boras during the discussion of the agreement with Mets play-by-play radio commentator Howie Rose on Monday’s “Meet at the Apple” podcast.
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