Pete Alonso hiring agent Scott Boras could bode well for Mets

Mets first baseman Pete Alonso — the face of the franchise, the guy who leads everybody in home runs since the day he debuted, the best slugger the team has ever produced — made a significant decision recently: He hired agent Scott Boras as his new representation, a source said.

That switch came at the start of a year-plus stretch that may well be the most important of Alonso’s career. He is scheduled to reach free agency following the 2024 season. What was true before feels especially true now that he has aligned himself with the Boras Corporation, known for often but not always taking clients to the open market: Alonso is going to cash in.

But the sudden Alonso/Boras union is not necessarily a bad thing for the Mets or their fans who want Alonso to stay in Queens forever. A long-term deal between Alonso and the Mets remains eminently possible.

In their brief time on opposite sides of a shared industry, Boras quickly has developed a strong relationship with — and, significantly, a direct line to — Mets owner Steve Cohen. And they tend to get a deal done. Boras’ unending quest to get his players top dollar matches up well with Cohen’s unequaled ability to offer top dollar, as we’ve seen in several recent cases.

* In November 2021, longtime Boras client Max Scherzer wound up with a three-year, $130 million contract and record $43.3 million average annual salary with the Mets after Cohen took the number his baseball people recommended and “added a little bit more,” as Cohen said at the time. “For brand-building,” he explained.  

Signing a pitcher of Scherzer’s caliber and pedigree was worth more to Cohen than the basic on-field calculation for an older ace. It’s not difficult to imagine similar intangibles convincing Cohen to fork over extra money to make Alonso a lifelong Met.

* In December 2022, Brandon Nimmo, who also hired Boras heading into his last season before free agency, stayed with the Mets on an eight-year, $162 million pact that probably was bigger and longer than most anybody anticipated. After Nimmo spent several days meeting with clubs at the winter meetings, his megadeal came together quickly once Cohen got involved.

Cohen valued keeping a homegrown fan favorite who had turned himself into a legitimate centerfielder and become a leader in the clubhouse, especially when there were no viable alternatives on the market or in the farm system.

* Also that month, Boras and Cohen came to a late-night agreement on Carlos Correa: 12 years and $315 million. That probably wasn’t the best idea to begin with, and it fell apart regarding concerns about the player’s ankle once the baseball/medical departments got involved. But it showed again: Cohen will spend big, and Boras knows how to get him there.

Alonso’s future will hang over everything the Mets do between now and whenever he signs, whomever he signs with. In discussing Alonso at his introductory news conference on Monday, president of baseball operations David Stearns said, “The entire package weighs into it.”

“Pete is a great player, he is also good in the clubhouse, and he is also homegrown. All of that matters,” Stearns said. “I know over the summer there was some trade speculation and I'll just say, I expect Pete to be the Opening Day first baseman next year. Pete is an important member of this team, he's an important member of this organization, and we're really fortunate to have him.”

Stearns also expressed no concern about Alonso playing during a contract year and dealing with whatever distractions might come with that.

“Pete has demonstrated he can handle pressure,” Stearns said. “He handled a whole lot of questions this year and had a pretty good season. He handled them well. So I'm not particularly concerned about Pete being distracted or unable to handle questions or pressure.”

Alonso, who leads the majors in home runs (192) and RBIs (498) and is third in games played (97% of team games) since he arrived in the majors in 2019, stuck to his personal company line when asked on the last day of the season whether he would be open to talking about a contract extension.

“Listen, I love the city of New York. This place has treated me so well. It’s a really special place,” he said. “I’ve really, thoroughly enjoyed my time here. This place has been really incredible. I love it here. Yeah, I love it here. It’s been awesome. Some of the best memories of my life have been here. So this is home for me right now.”

By Tim Healey

timothy.healey@newsday.com@timbhealey

Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.