Pete Alonso word salad about details of Mets return paints a clear picture

The New York Mets were one of the most active teams during this MLB offseason. Steve Cohen and David Stearns broke the bank when they signed outfielder Juan Soto to the richest contract in sports history, and they didn't stop there overhauling their starting rotation as well.

Once the Mets acquired Soto, it seemed like it was going to be difficult to retain first baseman Pete Alonso, who has been with the organization for the last six seasons. Alonso, who became a free agent at the end of 2024, was reportedly seeking a long-term, high-dollar deal after establishing himself as one of the most dangerous power bats in baseball, and even Cohen figured to have a hard time making that math work.

But as the start of spring training inched closer and closer and Alonso languished on the market, the first baseman eventually settled for a short-term contract to stay in Queens. And his thoughts on how the process played out prove he never had the leverage he thought he should.

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Pete Alonso discusses meeting before re-signing with Mets

Alonso joined "Foul Territory" on Friday to discuss what exactly took place that lead to him re-signing with the only team he has never known. When Alonso was asked about his now-infamous one-on-one meeting with Cohen in Florida, his response gave us more questions than answers.

After stuttering for few seconds trying to gather his thoughts, this is all Alonso could come up with.

"I guess previously, I never really got a look behind the curtain or necessarily a full understanding of the in-depth philosophy, the vision for the future," Alonso said. He went on to redundantly discuss the "philosophies" of the Mets.

It is hard to imagine that it was truly the vision the Mets laid out in front of him that caught Alonso's attention. Not just because, well, Alonso was plenty familiar with New York's "vision" after spending his entire career with the franchise, but aso because his deal includes an opt-out clause, providing the possibility of becoming an unrestricted free agent nine months or so from now.

Going into the offseason, no doubt Alonso and his agent Scott Boras believed they would have the leverage to ink a massive deal with someone, whether it be with the Mets or someone else. Obviously that plan ended up falling through, and after hearing Alonso's vague response to what brought him back, it sounds like the Mets were in control of this entire situation all along. But hey, "because no one would pay me" doesn't sound as clean on a podcast.