Although the New York Mets are unlikely to reach a contract extension with superstar slugging first baseman Pete Alonso before free agency next year, team owner Steve Cohen has made it clear that he wants to retain him for the long-term.

We want to keep him,” Cohen said in a preview of the met offices picas

He’s an important part of our team today and hopefully in the future,” Cohen added. “We know the fans feel strongly about him, and I’m not tone-deaf. I totally understand the fans’ love of Pete.

“I hope he hits 55 home runs and makes it so difficult on me in free agency. I would call that a great outcome.”

Alonso has certainly become a fan favorite and franchise cornerstone since entering the league in 2019. He has hit more home runs and driven in more RBIs than any player in baseball during this span. If Alonso were to depart from Queens, it would surely create a hysterical uproar amongst the fan base, which Cohen understands, as he is a Mets fan himself.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said at the start of spring training that the most likely outcome is Alonso going to free agency, which means the team will then have to try to re-sign him, as well as risk getting outbid by another club.

“Look, when you have a really talented player, who’s really good, who’s entering his final year of club control, who happens to be represented by Scott Boras,” Stearns said, “these things generally end up into free agency and we understand that.”