Mets owner Steve Cohen proposed a secret sit-in with Tampa's Pete Alonso on Tuesday.
“I really wanted to humanize negotiations,” Cohen told the Post. “I wanted him to hear it straight from me. The two people are having a real conversation.”
So they all hadhed it out for hours at Alonso's club. Baseball business David Stearns and Alonso's agents Scott Bolas and Mike Fiore's president of Mets were also present. They talked about analysis and biomechanics, and bat speed (Alonso scored well in the latter two). But the main thing Cohen wanted to hear was that Alonso wanted to come back, and what he wanted to tell was that he wanted to get Alonso back.
This was a very difficult and extended negotiation, and Cohen joked. He joked that this was “strolling the park,” which included three rounds of bidding, resulting in a record $765 million deal. This is a straightforward story after a tough 12-week fight, which promoted a two-year deal that was probably $54 million.
