Alonso ended up re-signing with New York (two years, $54 million with a player option after the first year), but his presence in the middle of the Mets’ lineup wasn’t always a given. In free agency, as he put it, Alonso and agent Scott Boras received “dialogue from a number of places over the course of the offseason.”

Pete Alonso enjoyed playing the role of hero against the Marlins this week, and the veteran Mets slugger has brought energy to a lineup still waiting to produce with consistency.

Pete Alonso hit a grand slam and the New York Mets beat the Miami Marlins 10-4 on Monday night. Starling Marte, Luis Torrens and Brandon Nimmo also went deep for the Mets, who finished with 11 hits in the opener of a three-game series. Every starter in the lineup had at least one.