While we’ve said here that the Mets and Pete Alonso need to find a solution, there is said to be a significant gap in conversation at the moment. That doesn’t mean he’s gone, as the Mets have already filled major holes (see Juan Soto below), just that there’s no quick deal in sight.

The Mets are considering other options at first base (and third base to some extent), and a fallback alternative could be moving Mark Vientos to 1B and giving Brett Baty/Ronny Mauricio/kids a shot at 3B .

What speaks for Alonso: He is a favorite of Mets fans. In general, you can weigh him up: He had a bad year and power is not as coveted this year. (While we argued for more lineup protection for Soto, it’s also possible that only Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani could truly protect Soto.)

Alonso never really seemed likely for the Yankees, as they already have great right-handers – Judge and Giancarlo Stanton – signed long-term.

Perhaps one reason the idea became more public was Hal Steinbrenner’s Alonso links. Not only did they both support the Tunnel to Towers charity, but both are Gators (Steinbrenner earned his MBA in Florida) and Tampa residents. Ultimately, however, as is his wont, Steinbrenner left the decision up to GM Brian Cashman. Yankees analysts preferred spending on Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt.

Although Bellinger initially chose to return to the Cubs, he ultimately became almost thrilled to become a Yankee when it became clear that the Cubs were determined to deal him.

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The Yankees people love Alex Bregman but wonder if Yankee Stadium is right for him. Maybe they’re hoping DJ LeMahieu gets healthy again to fill 3B.

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Gleyber Torres turned down the Nats because he didn’t want to play 3B.

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Andrew Chafin is at the top of the Yankees’ list of left-handed hitting targets. Tim Hill is too.

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Good for the Mets and Sean Manaea for agreeing to $75 million over three. He had turned down the $67 million from the A’s that went to his friend Luis Severino. The market for Manaea was otherwise limited due to the qualifying offer/draft, valued at between $5 million and $20 million depending on the team.

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The extremely talented Nick Pivetta has been linked to the Reds, Jays and others, but this QO could complicate matters.

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The favorite, Charlie Morton, is a frontline starter who would return for the right team at age 41.

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Aside from the Soto runs, the Tigers are also said to have money to spend and at least one big move ahead of them. (Amazingly, their postseason roster cost just $18 million.)

The five teams’ bidding for Soto started with a price between the $440 million he turned down from the Nats in 2022 and $500 million.

The Mets, despite their first second bid, fell short of a team’s first offer. So it was quite a comeback to have done that!