Jul 19, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) is greeted in the dugout after scoring in the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: Chicago White Sox at New York Mets
(Queens, NY) – Now that Mets’ slugger Pete Alonso has retained mega-agent Scott Boras ahead of his upcoming free agency, fans in New York are understandably nervous about potentially seeing the “Polar Bear” sign elsewhere.
And that would certainly leave many Mets fans with an icy feeling.
But, Alonso wants to make sure the market for his services heats up before signing any potential contract. After this upcoming season, unless he signs an extension to stay in New York, Alonso will hit free agency ahead of his age 29 season. Boras’ clients are notorious for not signing extensions before hitting free agency, but Alonso’s agent says that may not be true in this case.
Appearing on The Show podcast with Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman, Boras said: “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.”
Last season, as the losses piled up and the Mets fell out of contention, New York traded away a number of key veterans. Because of his looming free agency, as well as his perceived trade value, rumors swirled that Alonso came close to being dealt as well. Several reports in particular focused on Milwaukee as a team that was interested in acquiring Alonso. Boras also addressed those rumors during the podcast appearance: “I think it’s hard to say for a franchise, that if you want to win, you trade these players. I just think it’s a very difficult thing for ownership and baseball operations to explain.”
Theoretically, the Mets would have been able to secure a haul of young, talented prospects from the Brewers – who have one of baseball’s top rated farm systems. Similarly, following market theory – Alonso’s future contract may be closely linked to past deals inked by slugging first basemen. But Boras doesn’t necessarily see it that way: “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. … We all work in different markets, and I got Mark Teixeira a contract where he became a world champion with the Yankees for $180 million in 2007. I also understand I got Prince Fielder a contract at [$214 million] in 2011. There are different markets, different representation, and different dynamics you look at.”
Different representation is an interesting term to note there. Boras is well known for being a guy who drives for every top dollar. He’s also said to have a good working relationship with Mets’ owner Steve Cohen, as the two worked together when negotiating ex-Mets starter Max Scherzer’s contract.
Mets fans can at least hope that’s a benefit during the Alonso talks.
