The saga between Pete Alonso and the New York Mets seems to have no end, and now a new threat is emerging on the horizon that could end the good relationship that exists between the player’s agent, Scott Boras, and the New Yorker’s owner, Steve Cohen.
Alonso remains a free agent in the MLB offseason, and Boras’ tough tactics have proven detrimental to Alonso, who is still waiting to sign a contract extension with the Queens-based ballclub.
Cohen has expressed that negotiations for the first baseman have not been cordial at all, while the fans anxiously await the return of one of the players who has been the image of the team in recent seasons.
Cohen and Boras’ friendship at stake
Over the past few weeks, it has become clear that negotiations over Alonso have highlighted several differences between Cohen and Boras.
The first baseman is coming off a season of very discreet numbers, hitting a low .240 with 34 home runs in 162 games.
The Mets tried to extend Alonso’s contract for three years and $70 million, which was rejected by the player himself, who hopes to sign for more than $100 million, and after Boras’ $765 million deal to sign Juan Soto, Alonso’s expectations only increased.
The incredible thing about all of this is that Alonso has not been able to find a place in any of the other 29 MLB teams, which means that there are doubts when it comes to extending him a $100 million contract.
“Soto was tough, this is worse”, Cohen confessed when talking about the negotiations with Boras for Alonso, which gives an idea of how difficult it is for Alonso when Soto’s $765 million deal is considered easier than this.
Alonso’s options to move to another team
However, this also opens the door for the player to find better deals with other teams, the problem is time, as spring training is just around the corner.
Soto’s absence also opens up the possibility for the Mets to make some changes to their lineup, such as moving Mark Vientos from third to first base, and Soto as the team’s attacking linchpin, as well as having the talents of Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuna, who are on the lookout for the possibility of playing in the first team.
The Toronto Blue Jays seem to be the team of choice to sign Alonso, and although they have powerful bats such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, they need another bat that can complement the lineup and Alonso’s power could be the right one.