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.

So, beyond revealing an exhaustion from negotiating with Alonso’s camp, Cohen’s comments confirmed a couple of other matters. 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.

With his options dwindling in free agency, it’s long past time for Pete Alonso to decide what is most important: his legacy or his contract.