If Alonso ends up elsewhere, the Mets intend to look for bullpen help and infield depth, league sources said. That would seem to jive with what the Mets have said publicly — they believe they have internal options to replace Alonso.

Alonso remains on the market, and the longer this saga goes on, the less likely it is that he finds another team willing to shell out the sort of nine-figure contract he expected at the start of the offseason.