Sure sounds like Steve Cohen put Scott Boras in his place while re-signing Pete Alonso

After months of contentious negotiations, the New York Mets finally signed first baseman Pete Alonso to a two-year, $54 million contract earlier this month.

Just a few weeks ago, that outcome was beginning to seem unlikely. The two sides appeared to have reached a stalemate, and Mets leadership didn’t sound optimistic about retaining the homegrown star at various points this offseason. 

Mets owner Steve Cohen even engaged in a public back-and-forth spat with agent Scott Boras as the simmering negotiations reached a boiling point. During the Amazin’ Day fan event in January, Cohen called the negotiations “exhausting” and accused Boras of proposing counteroffers that were “highly asymmetric” against the team. Boras quickly offered a rebuttal, claiming their offers were identical to the “standards and practices” of contracts signed by star players with other clubs.

Cohen and Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns ultimately flew down to Tampa, Fla., to meet with Alonso and Boras. That meeting ultimately resulted in the involved parties working out their differences ... well, with Alonso at lesat.

Steve Cohen took another jab at Scott Boras after signing Pete Alonso

While discussing the deal with Mets play-by-play radio host Howie Rose on the “Meet at the Apple” podcast on Monday, Cohen took credit for the meeting and managed to sneak in another jab at Boras. 

“Well, it was my idea,” Cohen said of the meeting.

“I just felt that the negotiation had gone on so long, I just wanted to make sure that he heard from us how we felt about him. I just felt like he deserved that respect. He has been a great Met for a long time, he's a fan favorite, and I thought there was a real opportunity to sit down with him and kind of hash it out. And so, David and I flew down to Tampa [and] had a great conversation over a few hours. And frankly, Pete did all the talking. Scott Boras was there and Scott didn't say a freaking word the whole time! And I turned to him, I go, ‘I just want to make sure … you're still breathing over there!’”

Cohen’s implication, of course, is that he should be credited for bridging the gap, while Boras should be blamed for dragging the negotiations. 

In his first press conference after the deal, Alonso made it clear that he was never going to sign elsewhere. 

“For me, this was it,” Alonso said. “I mean, throughout the entire offseason, we had the best dialogue from the Mets. For us, this was the best opportunity. I’m just really happy to be back. This was it.”

The confidence in his inevitable return wasn’t shared by the Mets organization, however. Stearns said he thought there was “a very real possibility” that Alonso would sign with a different team, per The Athletic. 

Alonso has spent his entire career with the Mets, who drafted him back in 2016. The four-time All-Star and 2019 NL Rookie of the Year has become a fan favorite — and for good reason. Alonso’s 226 home runs through his first six seasons are third-most in Mets history and trail only New York Yankees star Aaron Judge since 2016. He has also led the majors with 586 RBI over that span, which are sixth all-time in Mets history.