Pete Alonso didn't have final talk with Mets leadership in Dec.

NEW YORK -- Pete Alonso, back in New York City for the first time since the Mets let the franchise cornerstone walk in free agency, said Friday that he didn't have a final conversation with Mets owner Steve Cohen or president of baseball operations David Stearns before signing with the Baltimore Orioles.

Alonso said he spoke only with a few former Mets teammates and manager Carlos Mendoza, who visited him at his offseason gym in Tampa. Ultimately, the Mets didn't make Alonso an offer before he signed a five-year, $155 million deal with the Orioles in December.

"I feel like that having that respect from the guys I was with every day, the guys that I was going to battle every day with, so to speak -- whether it be from the manager and other players -- having that respect is obviously nice," Alonso said before the Orioles opened a four-game series at Yankee Stadium. "But there's no final conversation from a brass or ownership standpoint."

Was he surprised?

"No, not really," Alonso said. "Because I think things were kind of progressing in the way with Baltimore, and they were just like, 'OK, all right.' The No. 1 thing through the whole process ... it's kind of when you're going through free agency and things are coming across, when things are so good you really don't want to mess that."

The lack of interest from New York at that price point was unsurprising. A year earlier, the Mets waited until Alonso's market cratered coming off the worst season of his career before aggressively pursuing him. They eventually agreed on a two-year, $54 million contract with a player opt-out clause after the first season, effectively making it a one-year deal.

Alonso, as expected, opted out after rebounding with 38 home runs, 126 RBIs and an .871 OPS in 162 games while the Mets plummeted from the best record in June to failing to make the postseason. The Mets never aggressively engaged with the first baseman, who became the franchise's all-time home run leader last season and finished with 264 home runs in blue and orange.

Three days after Alonso agreed with Baltimore, the Mets agreed to a two-year, $40 million deal with Jorge Polanco to replace him despite Polanco never starting a game at first base at the professional level. The move was part of a thorough winter overhaul, which included a nearly entirely new coaching staff and the organization's four longest-tenured players either being traded or signing elsewhere.

Polanco, 32, started two games at first base before Achilles pain limited him to designated hitter. He batted .179 with one home run and a .532 OPS until he was placed on the injured list with a bruised right wrist on April 18. Polanco's struggles are just one piece of the Mets' disastrous 10-21 start through April. Alonso pointed to New York's unlikely turnaround in 2024, from 11 games under .500 in early June to two wins short of the World Series, as a reason for hope for his former club.

"On paper that's not good, but I remember in 2024 things were very bleak and whatever from an outside perspective," Alonso said. "Baseball's a long season. It's a marathon. And you look back at the 2024 Mets, I mean, that could be a perfect example where it's like, 'Hey, yeah, it's bad, but there's five months left in the season.' There's always time. It's a long season."

Alonso, who hasn't missed a game since 2023, has stayed on the field but struggled in his first month with the Orioles, who entered Friday in third place in the AL East with a 15-16 record. The slugger began Friday with a .198/.306/.362 slash line and four home runs. Orioles manager Craig Albernaz noted a few underlying numbers -- including Alonso's hard-hit rate and barrel percentage, both in the 96th percentile across the majors -- that give him belief that it's only a matter of time before Alonso busts out.

"I've had a couple of moments, but overall, yeah, for me, disappointing," Alonso said. "But, again, every single day I feel dangerous in the box. And every day I'm ready to do damage and compete."