It is conceivable that Baty and Acuña alone could replace Alonso's home runs, which is to say nothing of what they stand to gain from their new center fielder. That is Jose Siri, who hit as many homers on his own last season (18) as the Mets got from all their center fielders.

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen publicly acknowledged that contract talks with free-agent first baseman and Mets fan-favorite Pete Alonso have been "an exhausting" process. It seems Cohen isn't yet ready to completely move on from the 30-year-old slugger.

One, in a world without Alonso returning to Flushing, the Mets may add more pieces. Two, the Mets are at least acting like they care about how much they spend. If Alonso ends up elsewhere, league sources expect the Mets to look for bullpen help and potentially add someone who can provide depth in the infield.

Pete Alonso? With spring training less than two weeks away, the free agent first baseman remains unsigned and seems destined to settle for a contract that will be considerably lower than his expectation,

Former New York Mets general manager Steve Phillips says Pete Alonso would be "great fit" for the Toronto Blue Jays, who could also pursue Alex Bregman.