The Mets are the only team Pete Alonso has played for since breaking into the majors in 2019, and he said that as much as he wanted to return to New York, hearing from management they wanted him back helped seal the deal.

According to Alonso, he never wanted to go anywhere else. “For me, this was it,” Alonso said. “I mean, throughout the entire off-season, we had the best dialogue from the Mets. And, like, that was it. For us, this was the best opportunity. And for me, I’m just really happy to be back.”

Pete Alonso has a message for New York Mets owner Steve Cohen: “Sorry.” Cohen took the unprecedented step of talking about free agent negotiations publicly a few weeks ago, characterizing them as “exhausting” to a group of fans and media at the team’s Amazin’ Day event.