After a frustrating process, Steve Cohen helped pave the way for Pete Alonso’s return to the Mets.

After protracted negotiations, the New York Mets signed slugger Pete Alonso to a two-year, $54 million contract Wednesday. While it seemed at times as if the two sides would be unable to reach an agreement, a deal got done thanks to a sit-down between Alonso and Mets owner Steve Cohen.

As it turned out, a little face-to-face time went a long way toward ending the standoff and bringing the four-time All-Star back to New York. Cohen flew to Tampa to meet with Alonso on Tuesday, according to the New York Post’s Mike Puma on X. Mets’ president of baseball operations David Stearns and Alonso’s agent Scott Boras also attended.

The in-person meeting gave Alonso an opportunity to express his frustration with the negotiating process and allowed Cohen to assure the player that the team wanted him, per Puma.

This exchange was a key moment in bringing about Alonso’s return. “I really wanted to humanize the negotiations,” Cohen said, via the NY Post’s Jon Heyman. “I wanted him to hear it straight from me – two human beings having a real conversation,” Cohen explained.

Pete Alonso will return to the Mets after a sit-down with Steve Cohen

Heyman notes that the two sides did not reach an agreement during this meeting. But a day later, Alonso was back on the only MLB team he’s played for in his six-year career. “This is a good thing. This needed to happen,” Cohen added, per Heyman.

Alonso actually rejected a larger offer from the Mets. New York was willing to do a three-year, $71 million deal with the first baseman. But Alonso, no doubt spurred on by Boras, chose the two-year, $54 million pact, which pays $30 million in 2025 and $24 million in 2026 and includes an opt out after the first year.

The shorter deal allows Alonso to re-enter free agency after just one season. Assuming he has an excellent year, he would then have the opportunity to land a more lucrative, long-term contract. And if things don’t go according to plan in 2025, he has the security of another year in New York at $24 million before testing the market again in 2026.

The Mets won the Juan Soto sweepstakes earlier this offseason, signing the superstar right fielder to a massive $765 million deal. Now New York will pair Soto with Alonso, creating a fear-inducing duo in the middle of the lineup. The two are projected to crush a total of 71 home runs for the Mets in 2025. Alonso has a career 162 game average of 43 home runs, while Soto averages 35 dingers over a full season.