The Mets have not yet added a first baseman to replace Pete Alonso, but they have begun the process of moving on without him.
The Mets began to pivot away from Alonso with Thursday's $7.5 million, one-year deal to keep Jesse Winker, but there is internal belief that he will sign elsewhere.
The Mets have told Alonso's camp in recent days that the window to reach an agreement is short because the organization doesn't want to miss out on other opportunities waiting for the slugger to decide whether to accept the team's offer. However, the offer is believed to be free. Over three years and at a recently reported cost of less than $90 million.
Winker offered his bat to the Mets to protect them if Alonso's divorce actually goes through.
The Mets are also looking to be key players in a still-solid free agent reliever market, of which left-hander Tanner Scott is their best remaining asset.
If the Mets do nothing more than move Mark Vientos as first baseman and let an inexperienced player (Luisangel Acuña, Brett Batty, Ronnie Mauricio, or both) play third baseman, then Steve There's always the possibility that Cohen will open his wallet at any time. Keep Alonso.
But for now, the Mets were moving forward as if one of the best power hitters in franchise history would be playing somewhere in 2025.
