Agent discusses if Mets could sign, trade Pete Alonso this offseason

New York Mets All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso hired Scott Boras as his new agent following the 2023 season, and Boras teased that Alonso could put pen to paper on a contract extension with the organization before the 28-year-old hits free agency next fall. 

"We welcome all offers," Boras explained during an edition of "The Show" podcast with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman, according to Dan Martin of the New York Post. "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."

It was reported last month that there was no "momentum toward a quick deal for Pete Alonso" and that the two parties likely wouldn't agree to an extension ahead of Opening Day 2024. While Alonso had been linked in stories with a potential move to the Chicago Cubs this fall or winter, it's now believed the popular "Polar Bear" will stay put because the Mets are "aiming to compete" next season despite their summer fire sale. 

"I think it’s hard to say for a franchise, that if you want to win, you trade these players," Boras said about certain subjects of trade rumors such as Alonso and San Diego Padres All-Star outfielder Juan Soto. "I just think it’s a very difficult thing for ownership and baseball operations to explain."

Most recently, Mets insider Anthony DiComo of the MLB website mentioned on Wednesday that "for both sides, the path of least resistance has Alonso playing out his final year of team control without an extension and then trying to negotiate a long-term deal as a free agent next winter." DiComo added that the Mets locking Alonso down this offseason "doesn’t seem overly likely" as the club pursues at least one massive name in free agency.

Boras strongly indicated Alonso won't offer the Mets any type of hometown discount, but that shouldn't necessarily worry New York fans ahead of Thanksgiving Day. The well-known agent has enjoyed a positive working relationship with Mets owner Steve Cohen over the years, and logic suggests that won't change even if Alonso's camp doesn't receive an extension offer to its liking before spring training.