A quiet corner of the lobby at the Winter Meetings can tell you a lot if you’re paying attention. On Wednesday afternoon in Orlando, a handful of New York Mets staffers stood together, half-talking, half-staring at their phones, the way people do when the news they were hoping wouldn’t happen finally does. By then, word had spread: Pete Alonso was gone. Not traded. Not negotiating. Gone.

A Winter Meetings Slide the Mets Didn’t See Coming

The Mets already knew this offseason wasn’t trending in their favor, but the last 48 hours have felt like someone turned the temperature up and locked the door. First they watched Kyle Schwarber land elsewhere. Then Edwin Diaz, the soundtrack of Queens for years, disappeared from the bullpen blueprint. But losing Alonso to the Baltimore Orioles on a five

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