BT & Sal: The Mets Won’t Be Held Hostage by Pete Alonso!

I would not, if I’m the Mets, be letting anybody, but specifically Pete Alonzo in this case, be dictating my offseason. Remember last year, they let it drag out forever. The Mets are like, “Well, we want him back, but we feel like we’re offering a fair offer.” Then it got to the point where they felt like they needed to move on and and and it was definitive that they were going to move on. Then they ended up together. This year for me, and we talked about this yesterday, I would go to Pete and say, “Look, where’s the money that you want? That’s fine. Okay, here’s where we’re at with the money. You got to be a DH.” if he can’t get beyond the idea of him being a DH, I don’t see how the Mets can improve their ball club. So, the perfect world would be Pete back as a DH, part-time DH, part-time first baseman. Then you can build out from there, get a solid defensive first baseman to compliment Pete and build out your roster there. But outside of that, I’m not bending over backwards or holding up my off season waiting on Pete Alonzo and his greedy agent to get their six or sevenyear offer. Yeah. I mean, listen, S, how much longer are we going to kick this down the road? I mean, this cannot be an an every year or two occurrence where, all right, Pete had a good year. Pete’s going to opt out. You know, what’s the market going to say this year based on what he just did the previous year? Like, it’s the rubber’s sitting the road here. We’re This is it. I mean, is Pete going to be a lifelong Met or is Pete not going to be a lifelong Met? difference to me is that I think last year they were less committed to like what they really wanted to do organizationally. I think we could probably boil it down to this. Like I think this is a pretty fair guess. Sterns doesn’t love him. Going back to last year, Stern doesn’t really value him or love him the way the fans do. Uh I think Cohen was was kind of in between. Wanted to give his general manager a chance to build the team and his vision, but also that he started listening to the fans at the FanFest, whatever. I think that right now there’s a lot more clarity. I I really do. I don’t think that there’s a lot to interpret anymore. I think that the way the season ended, now it’s not Pete’s fault because Pete had a really good year, but I actually think that there is um there was kind of an awakening within the Mets organization. And I could be reading this totally wrong. I don’t think he’s back. I don’t think Pete’s gonna be back with the Mets unless Pete took a massive concession whether it’s in terms of length AAV or or being primarily a DH which I do not think he will consent to. I don’t think Pete’s going to be back if he wants the most money and the Mets say here like here’s the one thing I would not do in addition to the DH. It would be a non-starter for me. I’m saying I’m not playing this game all offseason long. We want you back. Like there’s a part of Pete I believe that wants to be loved but he wants to be loved by showing the paycheck. The idea that Boris would come out with six, seven years, like come on, dude. It’s not it’s just it’s not realistic. Now, if they want to wait for that, that’s on them. I would go in a different direction the way that Sandy Alderson did years ago, and I think wrongfully so with JT Realm Muto, he didn’t want to wait for Real Muto and just said, “We’re going to go get McCann.” Now, that turned out to be a disaster. It’s not apples to apples here, but that thought process would be what I would want to have is we want you back, Pete. If you want to be a Met, here are the circumstances. We’ll give you what we believe is fair market value 5 years 150 whatever it may be around that for that’s what I’m saying I would do maybe they wouldn’t even go to that extent I’m saying I would cuz I’m paying the the biggest appeal about Pete Alonzo is that you’re paying for his power okay that is something that to me is worth investing in because it’s been constant so I would tell him I’ll invest in you Pete we want you to be back we want you to be a lifelong vet 5 years 150 again whatever the math is around that you’ve got to be a part-time time DH, part-time first baseman. Now, if he doesn’t like that for whatever reason, the DH part of it, he wants to wait to get more money. I am moving on. I’m not letting Pete Alonzo hold up my off seasonason. And I hope that Steve Cohen lets David Sterns handle things like that. Yeah, I don’t know that he let him do it last year. That’s what we talked about where I think the sentiment of the fans kind of crept in. Different though. You mentioned it’s different this year. I do think it’s different. And by the way, I respected that last year, you know, coming off the year that they had. They were almost in the World Series. I I understood the energy around Pete and and and why it dragged on a little bit there. It was it was a tough market to read because he had had, you know, at that point two years in a row that for him were a little bit down. The batting average was down, you know, yet it just it was I think it was a different evaluation. I think right now I think it’s very clear that the Mets need a massive overhaul of epic proportions. Right. So beyond just the starting rotation, which is an obvious thing. Yes. I mean, you know, we talk about Pete now obviously, but who’s playing second? Who’s playing third? Who’s definitely the catcher? Who’s playing center? Who’s playing left? I mean, it’s NBO based on the contract. But is that what you really want? And for me, the answer is probably not, which means I’d be open to trading NOM as you and I have discussed. So there’s a lot of work to do. Not to mention getting some guys at the top of the rotation, seeing what’s going on in school. Now, the good thing is the Mets have money, the Mets have prospects. know there are off seasons that you go into where there’s either a budgetary restraint or you got the 19th rated prospect list and nobody really wants to do business with you. The Mets are actually in a position of power. Um now if they were to drop the edict to Pete about playing DH and this came up a little bit yesterday with you and I. I don’t think there’s any way Pete’s going to consent to that. I just don’t. And I actually understand that as a competitor, not that I’m playing first base in the majors, but like if I can put myself in PE shoes, I’m sitting there saying, I mean, why why the hell at the age of 30 soon to be I think he’s going to be 31 in a month or so. Why am I going to go to the DH when when I’m I got a lot of baseball left in here? Cuz money talks and if he wants to be a Met, which I don’t think he really like I think he he might care about a little bit. I think he wants the best contract and whether that’s the Cubs or Mariners or Phillies or Red Sox. I think he loves being a Met. Well, okay. Well, then prove it by going to DH. Bingo. Here’s what I am looking at. And by the way, God bless him if he wants to go get the most money and if he can get it. Like, I have no issue with that. I am looking at it from make the Mets better perspective. They need ADH. I believe Pete’s power and success in New York offensively is something worth investing in. Also, nobody can argue, including Pete himself, that he is not a great defensive first baseman. The Mets are going to value defense, as they should. Look at the World Series how that played out. You think Pete Alonzo is making a fraction of those plays or or any of the Mets for that matter. It’s not Pete Alonzo, but any of the Mets. They got a lot of work to do. You got to tighten things up. Peep as a DH is plus. Now you have one of the better DH’s. And again, it’s not just exclusive DH. You could play a little bit of first. If he’s not open to that, I need to move on. I’m not letting him hold up my off seasonason like he did into January and February a year ago. End of story. This is different this time. So, he may think the market’s going to be a certain way, whatever he may want. From the Mets perspective, if I’m Sterns or Cohen or whoever’s making these decisions, here’s what the offer is. You are going to be a DH or start to transition to DH. Here’s what I think you’re worth. Now, for me, I would go to a 5year, 150. That may be more than you would do, BT. I wouldn’t give him five years. No way. Okay. Maybe be more than the Mets would give him. Either way, they got to give him their max offer in accordance with him accepting a DHL. If he doesn’t like it, they need to move on. End of story. I respect the bottom line position. I do. I just I think if that’s the case and if the Mets were willing to do that, I think Pete walks and the Mets need to be okay with that. Which means that would you be okay with that? Yeah, I absolutely would. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And this is not disrespecting Pete. I think you need to build the team very differently. You know, again, I I didn’t think Vlad Guerrero was a very very talented first defensively, but you saw him do things that Peach just doesn’t do. All right? Right. And if you watch the World Series or any playoff series with Toronto, you know what I’m saying? And and and I think that it’s it’s time to really shift the focus on how the Mets are built. Now, the other thing, too, right? So, I think that there are certain situations where you can make concessions, right, whether it’s having him play first base even though he’s average or slightly below because there’s a monetary uptick with Pete, right, or with player X. I’m obviously talking about Pete, but that’s not the case with Pete Alonzo. The reason why the Mets attendance soared was because of Juan Sodto, not because of Pete Alonzo. The year before when Pete Alonzo was the star along with Lindor and Sodto was in the Bronx. You know, there were 17,000 people there on Tuesday nights and Wednesday nights during the school year when when the when the Bets were in a pennet race and then Cohen obviously he implored the fans, hey, come on, you got to come out. You got to support the product. And they did that. And I believe that they did that primarily out of for Wanoto that that that star like Juan Sto’s a platinum star player. Like he’s he just resonates differently than Pete. People don’t flock to Queens to watch Pete. I say this not to diss Pete because there’s the financial aspect, right? And then there’s the baseball aspect. I don’t think he affects the bottom line as favorably as some people thought that he once did and his deficiencies. He’s an imperfect player. So, if somebody wants him for big money, again, I really do respect Pete, but I would let him go. Well, that’s what I’m saying. It sounds to me like you don’t want Pete back. I want him back, but it’s got to be perfect. If it’s not perfect, give me the parameters. Give me Give me two I’ll even give him big money. Like, I’ll give him 30 change. I’ll go I’ll go I’ll make him the highest paid first base. But again, I I Well, here’s the thing. I would Well, I’m gonna be a little sneaky here. Once you sign the contract, you play where I tell you to play. You think about this, right? And so if I I like what you’re saying, be upfront and tell Pete you’re gonna pretty much be the D. Well, because how could you how could you want to back as a first baseman? He’s not good. What I’m saying is I don’t want to back but but I don’t need to tell him before that he’s going to DH 100 games. Hey, here’s the three years. I would go three years plus one. That’s what what I would probably do. That’s my drop dead offer. I’m not going Yeah, whatever. Let them figure that out. 30 29th or something like that. Three plus one. Okay. Hey Pete, you’re my first baseman. Then the season starts. I get a better defensive first baseman and I let I let Pete DH two or three times. What is he gonna say? I’m not playing. He’s gonna You can play where I tell you to play. But I I I mean I’d rather just be upfront with him. Either way, my point is forget about what you would say to him how we would build the Mets out. Pete coming back as a DH makes their lineup stronger. Having his bat behind Sodto makes their lineup stronger. Also, you can upgrade defensively at first base. That’s why to me it is a slam dunk. The only holdup would be would he be willing to do that? And if he’s not, I’ve then got to move on. I am no longer interested in, and I wasn’t even interested in doing this a year ago. I’m no longer interested in having Pete Allonzo be the everyday first baseman regardless of the contract. He could tell me, I’ll come back and play first base for free for 162 games. And I would say, I appreciate that. I don’t want you to play first base. I’d rather pay you to be ADH because I’m trying to make the team better. This is not a money thing. It’s about trying to make the team better. Correct. How do they get better? You keep Pete’s bat in the lineup and you find somebody else to play first base defensively. Okay, think about this guys, right? And I know and we’ll get these calls and it’s going to be very split. I think a lot of people understand the reality of Pete at this point. All the good, all the bad. Come on, we watch him for seven years. We know what he can do and what he can’t. But if you are staunchly against possibly moving on from Pete, all right, I don’t mean just as a DH or as a first, I mean totally think about what you saw in the World Series. Is he going to turn 363 double plays? Is he going to, you know, cut down a runner at home on a contact play from third base? No, he’s not. Is he going to, you know, throw a dime to the plate when somebody’s trying to score on a double down the right field line and he’s the cut off man from Zoto? The answer is no. he’s going to lollipop it and you’re going to probably lose the game as a result. And I I think that now I the other thing too, we we know his deficiencies and that’s got to be worked around and we know his strengths. And we know his strengths and they’re plentiful. There’s no doubt about it. I am not letting him dictate when I do the other stuff. Here’s the other aspect of it. Like Pete, I need an answer soon, buddy. We’re not looking to get rid of you. And that’s kind of what you’re saying as well. We’re not looking to get rid of you. We’d like to find a way to make this work, but if you’re going to drag your feet and this thing goes into mid December, hey, we got to find out about Bellinger. We got to check it on Tucker. We got to check it on school. We got to make an aggressive trip. We got to check it on Valdez. We have things to do cuz we are nowhere near a World Series team. You either jump in or you jump out, but we’re not waiting for you. BT Sal and the fan. Our friends at Town Fair Tire remind you to the Town Fair Tire. You always get the guaranteed lowest price on name brand tires from Connecticut to Maine. Nobody beats Town Fair Tire. Nobody. Larry is in Westchester starting us off. What’s up, Larry? Hey, BT S. How you guys doing? Good. What’s up, Larry? Okay, listen. I wanted the Mets to do exactly what the Jets did. They got to blow it up and start again. As far as Alonzo goes, I would do this with Pete. Four years, 35 million guaranteed every year. Option for a fifth, no opt outs. If he hesitates for more than a month, say goodbye and start the rebuilding process. Like you guys were saying, they need so many pieces. They need a second baseman. They need a center fielder. You can’t have Allonzo hold up Sterns’ offseason. Not to mention the pitching, which is in total shambles over one guy. Pete’s a nice player. I love him, but I’m ready to move on. It has to be done. Like DT you just said, they’re nowhere near a World Series. They’re not so much. They’re not. And they need so much work and to have one guy constantly hold it up. Not right. Well, I wouldn’t say constantly, Larry. Yeah. No, I I got you. Good. Good call. We got you. I’m not saying constantly. I mean, you contracts up when it’s up and then you’ve got to deal with it. That’s business. And we don’t begrudge him for going through the business. But the business last year, the way it trickled in, it’s got to be different than the way it it goes down this year is what I think both of you and I are saying. You know, you just you can’t have this go on for seven weeks. What’s the plan? Now, the one thing when when Larry talks about the Jets and the rebuild, as much as the Mets need to do, it’s not a rebuild. Like, there are move like there’s no move that the Jets could have made at the trade deadline or even this even coming into the season more specifically for the off season that would have elevated them to a a championship status that they’re just nowhere near it. The Mets, there is a path to do that because they’re a pretty good team with the ability to be a very good team if they do the right things. 100%. I mean, the Blue Jays went from worst first than they were in the World Series this year. So, it’s not just the Dodgers model. There are other ways to do it. Not to mention that two seasons ago, the Mets were in the NLCS just a couple of games away from the World Series. So, I don’t think it’s as far as it may seem. We’re certainly coming off an 83 win season. But, they’ve got to make the right moves. And that’s why investing in Pete Alonzo is not a bad investment. You’ve got to invest in the right part of Pete Alonzo’s game. That’s the power that plays. That’s a known commodity in New York in big spots. Pete Alonzo’s power is proven. I want to invest in that, but I can’t invest him as a first baseman. It’s got to be as a DH. And I’m not letting him or his agent hold me up. I’m sorry. I would have a hard stance on that. And I don’t even care about Boris’s other players then. He doesn’t like it. Tough. The Mets have shown they’re willing. The Scott Boris needs the Mets more than the Mets need Scott Boris. I’ll go find other players elsewhere. I don’t need to get Scott. Even Terrick Kubal, I don’t care. I’ll go find another starting pitcher. I’ll go pay somebody else. Scott Boris doesn’t control the New York Mets. The Mets, Scott Boris, needs them and their money to drive prices up with Steve Cohen now at the helm. I am, if I’m the Mets, not letting anybody dictate what I do this offseason. I’m hitting the ground running trying to rebuild this thing here or build this thing to get to a World Series caliber. And I can’t let Alonzo or anybody else hold me up. I respect that. But here’s the one problem. Because the Mets and because Cohen has so much money, they’re going to be strung along here. You know what I mean? Especially if only if they allow it. Yeah. Well, that’s true. That’s true. I mean, that’s why if you drop down that that drop dead date of, hey, listen, you know, at least a more defined, maybe not drop dead, but a more defined parameter timeline than last year where it just dragged on. That’s fair. That’s one way to circumvent that. But if the Mets are out of play on Pete, do you think he’s getting the offer that he wants somewhere else? He’s he may not get anything. I I don’t even know if he’s going to get that from the Mets. I was going to say well that’s why yes Boris needs to like you need the Mets at the poker table right here for for Pete because if the Mets are like hey you know what we respect you we love you but we’re going to move on well now the options dry up and then it very well might be like one plus one or two plus one like it was a year ago one plus one for for Pete the thing is and and I I s I like what you’re saying about him being the DH cuz we know he is not a good first baseman at this point but I under no circumstance can I envision him like just the way it would happen him opening day you want to throw them out there opening day symbolic first base whatever but meaning I just don’t see him consenting to it I don’t even see the Mets being that forward in their presentation even if he got the money no because just because we don’t think he’s a good first baseman and the metrics bear that out he takes pride in playing first base so but if the offer was the best one out there Yep. Yep. Well, I mean, I don’t know. The Mets could give him that. They could say, “We want you to be a lifelong Met and we want you to continue to hit home runs here. We we want to invest in you. We’ll give you the 5year, 150 mill, whatever the math is.” I’m not giving you nobody’s given six or seven, so you don’t need to get reckless. But look, maybe if you want to go to the six year fine, but but lesser than the value, however they want to make him happy financially, contractwise, they have the power to do that. the the only ask would be from my perspective, you got to be open to dhing sooner than later. You don’t think even if you don’t want to give him specific numbers for me, I do half the year this year and then you start to phase him out into being a full-time DH. I I I think he would take that as disrespect and I think he would walk out. And you know what? If the Mets were to be that forward and and that that brazen, if you will, well, they’ve already baked the possibility of him responding that way into that calculus. Like it’s not like the if the Mets do what you want them to do and Pete’s like, “No, I’m offended. That’s disrespect me.” Okay. But there’s no way the Mets would be like, “Oh, wow. He’s disrespected.” Of course, they would understand that that’s a possibility. Of course. No. No. So, I get that. So, but he also wants the money. He wants the money. But now, and I don’t even want to get into the finances of the different states and the and the taxes, whatever. But you think about this like because what you’re saying is if the Mets if he if he was to be um approached as a part-time DH and he was turned off by it but the money made it more appealing where he swallowed his pride. Right. That that’s basically or or he just or he says no. Well, not swallowing it. He could do whatever he wants. I got you. I got you. But I don’t think the Mets under any circumstance their offer would be so much more than any other team’s offer that and then you bake in again the tax implications. I think I just what I think if if it’s a five-year deal for the Mets or a three plus one from somebody else or or something. Yeah, let’s stick with that. And the Mets are like you DH it and you’re playing first base and the Angels say you’re our first baseman. I think he’s gone. I really for less money in less years. I think he’s saying you know what I felt disrespected last year. You gave Sodto $800 million, you know, rightfully so. But but what he’s thinking is and I got to beg for this money. I’m leaving. I’m done. But so so then who cares? No. No. I I agree. Okay, we’ll see you later. I don’t want you to be the first base. In a lot of ways, that would make it easier on the Mets because if Pete makes the decision for them, well, now the Met fan can’t be mad at the Mets for disrespecting a Met legend. There’s a thought about, well, the Mets would be better off with Pete Alonzo. The Mets would be better off without Pete Lonzo. This is definitive. The Mets would be better off with Pete Alonzo as their DH. If he doesn’t like it, move on. BT and Sal on the fan. We’ll get to your calls when we come back. Gated 80811.

BT and Sal go in-depth on the Mets’ biggest offseason dilemma: Pete Alonso. Should the Mets bring him back, or finally move on? BT says David Stearns and Steve Cohen can’t let Alonso and agent Scott Boras dictate the team’s future especially if Pete refuses to become a DH. From contract years and money demands to defensive limitations and clubhouse impact, the guys debate whether Alonso’s power bat is worth the drama.

Chapters:
00:00 – The Mets Can’t Let Pete Alonso Dictate Their Offseason
02:16 – Why Stearns and Cohen Must Take Control
04:49 – Is Alonso Willing to Become a DH?
07:23 – The Real Value of Pete Alonso’s Bat vs. Glove
10:09 – Should the Mets Move On and Rebuild Without Him?

#Mets #PeteAlonso #BTandSal #WFAN #MLB #MetsBaseball #SteveCohen #DavidStearns #NewYorkMets #Baseball

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40 comments

  1. These guys are hilarious. Who else can provide 30 plus homeruns, 80 plus extra base hits, 125 RBIs and play 162 games……and he loves tbe Mets. They will suck ass next year without him. Even worse than tbe pathetic season they had this year.

  2. At the end of the day and to be fair it comes down to what Alonso and Boras are demanding. Besides the obvious on signing Alonso, bringing him back will also protect there biggest investment. Soto will not be as good moving forward without Pete or a power bat like him hitting behind Soto

  3. Some players aren’t as good as being a DH. That’s another reason why some players want to play the field. Plenty of players and ppl in and around the game have said it takes a different type of player to be a productive DH. You get 3-4 ABS a game and sitting on the bench the whole game. Body isn’t warmed up and head isn’t in the game. That’s why you can count how many great DH only players/seasons there’s been. Alonso is more then serviceable at 1B. If Alonso did DH or didn’t come back. Then who plays 1B. Who is the big improvement on the team. No one. People want to say Vientos. No one knows if he’ll be good there or be an upgrade over Alonso. His bat definitively isn’t. Is vientos the 2024 hitter or the 2025 hitter. I also think his attitude sucks but that’s a different topic.

  4. Wow, are these guys fools. Alonso is not the problem and is a good first baseman. He scoops everything thrown at him and that's 95% of the job. Plus, these guys clearly do not understand baseball. Driving in runs is a SKILL. He does it better than almost everyone in MLB. There is nobody they can replace him with. Let him go, watch the Mets be a 70-75 win team. Sal just parrots the Stearns BS talking point about defense. Pitching wins championships, not shit hitting and better defense.

  5. Sterns is the weak link in the Met organization. I am on the fence about Alonso, but I have no confidence in Sterns to make the right decisions in running the team.

    I do agree that Pete is a DH and play first base on occasion.

  8. Why does he have to be a DH? Get out of here with that stupid take. Need to worry more about Soto in the outfield. Mets have so many other problems. Good luck replacing 40 home runs and 112 rbi’s

  21. Oh wow! 2 guys gaslight you all and make you think it’s Boras and Alonso’s fault, when in fact the Mets front office is shit and won’t give a contract to someone who deserves it and earned it.

  24. Sign Bichette and give a kid a chance in center. Then you can survive with Pete at 1B with the quick legs uo the middle. And if one of the top prospects start off slow you have Biichette Pete Soto Lindor Nimmo picking up the slack . If you don't resign Pete it makes it harder to justify not going after a CF who can hit.

  25. All these ppl telling the Mets to blow it up is so funny. Its weak. You trade for Skubal resign Pete and Diaz then sign Bichelle . Suddenly they're talking WS. Lol

  26. They’re both wrong. And one is not nice word. So long Pete, bon voyage❤You were a real Met for a while, better than most animals on this city deserve.

  28. Advocating to blow up the team makes no sense, we are a good pitching staff away from being contenders… don’t blow up one of the best lineups in baseball for defense

  33. I'm a senior citizen baseball fan; I recall a time wherein the manager told the player what to do. If the skipper puts you in the lineup as a DH – you do the job. I don't recall Sparky Anderson, Gil Hodges, Billy Martin, Lou Pinella, Davey Johson etc. asking about a player's "feelings…"

  35. Every defensive metric shows that Alonzo is a terrible defensive first baseman. Near zero range, inaccurate throwing to any base, and literally got a pitcher (Senga) hurt last year with yet another terrible toss to a pitcher covering first. Oh, yeah, and his body shape, lack of athleticism, and increasing age all point to a serious decline in the next 2-3 years. Sign as a DH only.

  36. One of the reasons we didn't make it to the post season was because Pete broke Senga when he flubbed a simple throw to first. I love Pete but he's got to agree to be at least a part time DH. If we keep Senga, Pete should never play first base when he's pitching.

  38. As much as I love Alonso he's not beloved as was David Wright,Mike Piazza or Seaver. I'd give Pete 5 years maximum contract. With his body make up you can see the decline happening in next 2-3 years. Nimmo contract was a foolish signing & Soto way overpaid.

  40. Stearns can find a nice scrap heap first baseman who hits 215 with 8 homers and 45 RBIs but is a great fielder. The smirker needs pitching for run prevention. Stearns is a fraud.

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