Steve Cohen, David Stearns provide harsh Pete Alonso reality, whether Mets fans like it or not

For the first time in several years, the New York Mets hosted their version of a fan fest. Amazin' Day not only gave fans the first look at a new road uniform that the Mets plan on wearing in 2025, but also gave fans a chance to see their favorite players up close.

Players and team staff held panels throughout the day, but none of them was more interesting than one featuring Mets owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns.

Before questions were even asked, Mets fans made sure that their voices were heard, chanting "We Want Pete" aimed at Cohen and Stearns. Of course, all Cohen, Stearns, and manager Carlos Mendoza could do at that moment was awkwardly smile.

These chants are Mets fans' way of letting Cohen and Stearns know that they want the organization to re-sign arguably the most prolific slugger in the franchise's history, Pete Alonso. The 30-year-old is arguably the best position player on the market not named Alex Bregman and is a player who the Mets could really use back, but the two sides have not come close to an agreement. They're so far apart, in fact, to the point where the Mets have reportedly shifted toward their plan B, expecting Alonso to sign elsewhere.

The Mets won't close the door on Alonso's tenure until he ends up elsewhere, but unless he meets where they're comfortable going both years-wise and financially, the Mets are going to act as if he isn't coming back.

Answers given by Cohen and Stearns about Alonso's free agency prove just that.

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Steve Cohen, David Stearns, sound just fine moving on from Pete Alonso whether Mets fans want that or not

It's abundantly clear where Mets fans stand on this issue. They want their homegrown slugger back, and it isn't hard to see why. Not only has Alonso been one of the premier power hitters this franchise has ever rostered, but their lineup could really use a bat of his magnitude hitting behind new Mets superstar Juan Soto. Without Alonso, the lineup looks extremely top-heavy, especially if the Mets don't pivot to signing Bregman or trading for a player like Nolan Arenado, which is sounding likely.

Stearns does not seem to care about what the fans want at all, though, based on his comments.

Stearns made it clear that everyone in the Mets organization loves Alonso, but he has earned the right to go to the open market and see what he can get. He also said he believes in the young players that the Mets have internally. That remark specifically was met with boos from the crowd.

It isn't hard to see why Mets fans feel the way they do. Sure, Alonso is coming off a down year, but even in that down year, he hit 34 home runs and drove in 88 runs. Chances are, hitting behind Soto would get him more pitches to hit and give him a chance to hit 40+ home runs for the fourth time in just six full seasons (excluding 2020).

The young players Stearns is gushing over include guys like Brett Baty, who has been worth -0.7 bWAR in parts of three seasons, Luisangel Acuña, who has just 14 games of MLB experience, and Ronny Mauricio, a 23-year-old who missed the entire 2024 season due to injury and looked incredibly raw in his only MLB stint in 2023. Sure, they can break out, but it's hard for fans to believe in them over a proven slugger like Alonso, who happens to also be homegrown.

Stearns deserves immense credit for how he's handled this whole situation. The easy move would've been to bring Alonso back for whatever the slugger wants. The Mets would be in a better position to win in 2025 with Alonso in the mix, and the fans would be happy. Stearns, instead, is trusting his gut and ignoring the pleas from a very passionate fan base, which is easier said than done.

Stearns' comments were interesting, but what Cohen had to say was truly eye-opening.

"We've made a significant offer to Pete... personally, this has been an exhausting conversation and negotiation. Soto was tough, this is worse. I don't like the structures that have been presented to us. I think it's highly asymmetric against us. I feel strongly about it. I will never say no, there's always the possibility, but the reality is we're moving forward and we continue to bring in players. As we continue to bring in players, the reality is, it becomes harder to fit Pete into what is already a very expensive group of players that we already have... If it stays this way, I think we're gonna have to get used to the fact that we may have to go forward with the existing players that we have."

This is as straightforward of a response as you'll ever see, especially from an owner. First of all, he says the Alonso negotiations have been tougher for him than Juan Soto's were. That alone is shocking, considering the fact that Cohen said previously he had no idea what was going on until he was told that he was getting the player.

Cohen then revealed that he made Alonso what he believes to have been a significant offer and does not like what Scott Boras, Alonso's agent, has presented back to him. He believes the offers from Alonso's camp are extremely unfair to the organization. Cohen also made clear that the longer Alonso waits, the less likely it is that he'll be back. The Mets continue to add players, and at a certain point, it becomes too expensive of a roster to bring Alonso back in addition.

This answer was met with applause. Mets fans might not have loved the response, but they can certainly appreciate Cohen's honesty. The Mets are open to bringing Alonso back, but on terms they believe are fair. Cohen might be the richest owner in the sport, but he isn't going to spend money he doesn't have to spend, especially when it feels as if he's bidding against himself. As of this writing, it's unclear what other offers Alonso has on the table. Clearly, if there was an offer far better than what the Mets have offered, Alonso would've signed by now.

There's nothing Mets fans can do now other than wait for a resolution. The Mets appear more than comfortable with what they have, whether fans want to hear that or not. The ball is in Alonso's court. If he's willing to come back on terms the Mets deem to be reasonable, he'll be back. If not, Stearns and Cohen won't lose any sleep. If anything, Cohen will feel some sense of relief knowing that this brutal negotiation is over.