QUEENS, NY — The question was understandably waiting for Pete Alonso following Sunday's rubber-game loss to the Washington Nationals, even if there were more pressing matters at hand, like his New York Mets falling out of a playoff spot for the first time since April 5.

Once again, the very tangible reality is that Sunday's 3-2 loss was Alonso's final game at Citi Field as a member of the Mets. The 30-year-old slugging first baseman can opt out of his two-year, $54 million contract this offseason, and has every right to do so behind 37 home runs and 122 RBI — a brilliant bounceback season after a muted 2024 campaign tanked his market, forcing him to settle for a two-year deal rather than the long-term, $200 million-plus contract he and Scott Boras were looking for.

"If I had a nickel for

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