An interesting report may explain why New York Mets owner Steve Cohen was willing to let team legend Pete Alonso walk in MLB free agency this offseason.
When Cohen purchased the NY Mets late in 2020, there were two significant reasons why it generated a great deal of excitement among the team’s supporters. First, it ended the frustrating reign of the Wilpon family and replaced them with the richest owner in the sport. But perhaps more importantly, fans were thrilled by the purchase because the billionaire was portrayed as a long-time, diehard fan of the club.
However, that may not really be the case. In a new fan Q&A piece this week, The Athletic’s Will Sammon and Tim Britton were asked why Cohen would let such a beloved figure like Alonso leave for the Baltimore Orioles if he is such a serious fan. To diehard Mets supporters, the club home run king’s departure was a major emotional blow.
- Pete Alonso stats (Career): .253 AVG, .341 OBP, .516 SLG, .857 OPS, 264 HR, 712 RBI, 580 R
In response, Britton pointed to a key note in his 2020 piece on Cohen’s purchase of the team. And that is the fact that, to many people who knew him, Cohen was believed to be a casual fan whose favorite MLB team seemed to be the New York Yankees. Furthermore, he was known as a bigger NBA fan and would often go to New York Knicks games instead of a major league ballparks.
In reality, it might have been his wife who converted him into a bigger Mets fan over the years. “It’s Cohen’s wife, Alex, who registers more as the Mets diehard in the family,” Britton wrote at the time.
Why Did Steve Cohen Not Work Harder To Keep Pete Alonso on NY Mets?
NY Mets fans are well aware of how close they were to losing the five-time All-Star last offseason. However, his market was far smaller than he expected, and the team was able to benefit. Locking him up to a new deal just a few weeks before the start of spring training. But it featured opt-outs, and he exercised that after another strong season in 2025.
The interest in the first baseman was supposed to be stronger this year, and the O’s gave Alonso the long-term deal New York was unwilling to match. His loss has infuriated Mets fans and made them question Cohen’s ownership and David Stearns as team president.
While fans of the team were deeply loyal to the homegrown star, unwavering loyalty in business has never been Cohen’s MO en route to becoming a billionaire, according to Sheelah Kolhatkar’s book Black Edge. That, and not being a life-long Mets fan, may explain why he was on board with Stearn’s disinterest in giving him a new contract for more than three seasons.
“He was so good at knowing when to cut losses,” the book notes. “(Traders) become really attached to certain investments and then when things change, and they’re not good investments anymore, they have a really hard time deciding to sell them. He was just very cold and focused, and he was able to make those decisions without letting his emotions get in the way.”
