In late August, the Mets-Pete Alonso trade rumors reached a near-tipping point as one news outlet reported that several MLB executives said they believe the Mets will trade Alonso this winter.

Less than a week later, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand dampened the spark by saying that the Mets have indeed "held discussions" with Alonso about a future contract extension.

The only stickler, per Feinsand, is that both sides disagree on the type of contract the star first baseman should command -- in other words, how many zeroes are going dangle off of Alonso's paycheck?

The Mets made an offer that, while it certainly wasn't insulting, wasn't one good enough to convince Alonso to forego free agency. Mark Feinsand's source

Feinsand wrote that the Mets may perhaps take the same approach with Alonso as they did with Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo played out his final year of club control, became a free agent, and then he re-signed with the Mets last winter.

Mets' Pete Alonso trade rumors got blown out of proportion

Alonso has one more year left on his contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Despite Billy Eppler's admission that the Mets won't seriously compete until 2025 and 2026, it doesn't mean New York plans to tank next season. At this year's trade deadline, the Mets traded a handful of veteran stars for prospects to initiate an era of "repurposing" and transition.

Rather than trade Alonso, which almost certainly indicates a hard or soft reset is imminent, the Mets could opt to keep the slugger and the rest of their offense more or less intact for 2024.

Alonso, a three-time All-Star, is slashing .219/.323/.515 with 39 home runs and 96 RBIs. His slight decline in 2023 and the Mets' ongoing woes have caused some to preemptively slam the red button and declare a trade, but in truth, the Mets seem more amenable to an Alonso extension than the media would suggest.