Mets owner Steve Cohen letting Billy Eppler handle Pete Alonso's contract
Mets owner Steve Cohen during a spring training workout on Monday in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — A few more highlights from Steve Cohen’s 20-minute news conference:
On his desire to sign Pete Alonso to a long-term contract: “I'm going to let Billy [Eppler] handle that and obviously at the right time, we'll figure out what to do. Pete's a tremendous player. He's a fan favorite . . . We'll see how that goes.”
On the Mets’ farm system: “I don't think they focused enough on defense in the minor leagues before [he bought the team]. You’ve got to be a complete ballplayer, and not just a half a ballplayer. These things are important to us, but it requires a different approach, a more rigorous approach. And that’s what we're doing.”
On how much he thinks about Shohei Ohtani’s free agency after this season: “I’m not thinking about anything other than this season. That’s next year. Let’s worry about this year.”
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.
