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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. \u2014\u00a0The most formidable front-office duo this side of the Mississippi beat super-agent Scott Boras during the negotiations that finally delivered Pete Alonso back to his adoring Flushing fan base.<\/p>\n
Eventually, it will be the Dodgers\u2019 turn in the crosshairs.<\/p>\n
Because when you combine Steve Cohen\u2019s near-limitless resources and David Stearns\u2019 cool baseball intellect \u2014\u00a0not to mention their own legit Mets\u2019 fan DNA \u2014\u00a0that\u2019s a pretty fearsome combo for the industry to deal with, whether it\u2019s the winter talent marketplace or between the lines come summer.<\/p>\n
In Alonso\u2019s case, he got the full good-cop, bad-cop routine, and it\u2019s no secret which was which. Sure Cohen showed some teeth during Amazin\u2019 Day at Citi Field, back when he blasted Pete\u2019s camp for \u201cexhausting\u201d negotiations and an untenable sales pitch, but we now know the owner was more sending a message than slamming the door.<\/p>\n
Two seats over, there was Stearns, the president of baseball ops, watching Cohen turn boos to cheers just by shooting straight with the audience. While it\u2019s Stearns\u2019 job to build the best roster possible, using every analytical tool at his disposal, Cohen seems more comfortable in the front-facing role, whether it\u2019s connecting with longtime Mets\u2019 loyalists in a parking lot or the players themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cSteve wants to be transparent,\u201d Stearns said Wednesday. \u201cNot every owner does. And so there clearly are rules that govern what we can say. I think what Steve did was be as transparent as he possibly could without breaking any rules. And I applaud him for doing it and appreciate him for doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stearns was referring to a clause in the CBA that prohibits teams from going public with details about the negotiating process. But it\u2019s not like Boras would file a grievance against the richest individual owner in the sport \u2014\u00a0especially Cohen, who\u2019s already given well over a billion dollars to his clients during his four-year ownership of the Mets. That\u2019s not smart business.<\/p>\n
Instead, Cohen\u2019s tough talk got everyone back to the table, and less than two weeks later, the Mets got Alonso \u2014\u00a0at their price \u2014\u00a0after a face-to-face sitdown in Tampa. Once again, this was Cohen driving the bus, but the contract had Stearns\u2019 fingerprints all over it: a two-year, $54 million deal with an opt-out after the first season. Alonso receives a big chunk up front, a $30 million sum (including a $10 million signing bonus) that makes him the highest-paid player at his position while the Mets don\u2019t get tied up in a long-term commitment (Stearns\u2019 signature move).<\/p>\n
That\u2019s teamwork. Clearly, the Mets have a significantly better lineup with Alonso, and Stearns \u2014\u00a0despite his willingness to move on \u2014\u00a0stated the obvious Wednesday during his first public comments on the matter. But it was also telling when Stearns was asked about Alonso showing slippage the previous two seasons, first when he batted a meager .217 in 2023 then followed up with career-lows in home runs (34) and OPS (.788) a year ago. Alonso\u2019s downward trend, heading into his age 30 season, begged the question: why invest in a potentially fading stock?<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a really motivated player right now,\u201d Stearns said. \u201cHe’s a very motivated player to have an elite Pete Alonso season. I expect we’re going to see that. He is confident in his ability. I’m excited to watch it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the beauty of a one-year deal, a strategy that Stearns has executed to near-perfection since coming to the Mets. It may seem counter-intuitive to sign people on the cheap when Cohen, sitting on a $25 billion fortune, has no problem soaring over the luxury tax threshold named in his honor.<\/p>\n
But Stearns, given his esteemed baseball ops resume, understands there\u2019s no better carrot than a player\u2019s next contract. It didn\u2019t work for Alonso last season \u2014\u00a0maybe the pressure of the walk year got to him before his October redemption tour \u2014\u00a0but Stearns and Cohen evidently figured it was worth a $30 million bet that he\u2019d cash in on a second chance, hitting in a Juan Soto-stacked lineup.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think what he expressed to us is he wants to win a World Series as a Met,\u201d Stearns said. \u201cAnd he knows a big part of our ability to do that is him producing. I think Pete’s had good years the last couple of years, but not as good, not as elite, not at the standard that he set at the front end of his career, and I think he is very motivated to demonstrate that he is capable of putting up those types of numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n
If that does happen, winning a World Series feels within reach. But the Mets have plenty of work to do against Atlanta and the Phillies in the top-heavy NL East before a potential October rematch with the Dodgers. We just can\u2019t help looking ahead to a looming showdown with L.A. because that\u2019s how the past 3 1\/2 months have played out \u2014\u00a0a virtual arms race between the two coastal powerhouses.<\/p>\n
Signing Alonso brought the Mets\u2019 payroll up to $325 million, second only to the Dodgers\u2019 $386 million tab, and they\u2019re really the only two teams that are completely unfettered when it comes to chasing a championship (the Yankees come close at times, but Hal Steinbrenner can\u2019t help but talk about fiscal restraints).<\/p>\n
Like the Dodgers they\u2019ve tried to emulate, Cohen and Stearns are empire-building in Queens, and it\u2019s a partnership that seemingly grows stronger by the day.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re not ignoring the Dodgers,\u201d Stearns said. \u201cWe understand who they are in our game right now and the success they\u2019ve had, and that\u2019s great. But our primary focus needs to be on ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
That plan seems to be paying off so far.<\/p>\n
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball’s Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cohen was driving the bus in the Pete Alonso talks, but the contract had Stearns’ fingerprints all over it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":33760,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n