With the MLB offseason officially underway, fans across the league brace for the whirlwind of contract negotiations and trade speculations that always come with the territory.
One name on everyone’s radar is New York Mets first baseman, Pete Alonso, whose future with the team is currently hanging in the balance.
Super-agent Scott Boras is determined to secure an extension that would solidify Alonso’s status as the highest-paid first baseman in the league.
Set to become a free-agent in 2025, Boras is eyeing a lucrative deal that surpasses the benchmark set by Freddie Freeman’s $162 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022.
Shedding light on Alonso’s situation, Boras told the New York Post: “I don’t think those recent contracts, certainly negotiated by others, are really relevant to anything that has to do with what’s going to happen in the future – Particularly with Pete Alonso.”
Scott Boras eyeing massive Pete Alonso payday from Mets https://t.co/3c4ejEre7X pic.twitter.com/r7PCFwcKVu
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) November 2, 2023
Under the ownership of Steve Cohen, the Mets have displayed a willingness to invest heavily in their roster, indicating a potential willingness to meet Alonso’s demands.
Although the free-spending Cohen saw his aggressive approach blow-up in his face this season, the fact remains that Alonso is a home-grown Met and one of the real faces of the franchise.
You get the feeling that Cohen and the Mets know just how important it is to keep the fan-favorite Alonso in Queens.
That certainly doesn’t mean that Boras will allow Alonso to take a home-town discount however … If anything, he will be using the whole situation as leverage against the Mets.
Addressing his negotiation approach, Boras emphasized: “We welcome all offers. We certainly present them [and] discuss them with the players we represent and we really try to have as open a dialogue as we can and also have an exchange of information because… even if you don’t get a deal done, it helps the parties understand one another. So we invite negotiations, we invite discussions [and] we invite offers.”
Pete Alonso won’t be giving the Mets any discounts on his new deal. Goodbye Pete! Scott Boras is greedy Asshat…..😠😠😠😠 pic.twitter.com/bfCLfhp0ut
— Viper Dante Brandolini (@DanteBrandolini) November 2, 2023
Should the Mets lock Alonso up to an extension?
What type of contract do you think he’s worth???