Mets and Pete Alonso very much needed one another

It took until the first week of February, but with Pete Alonso finally returning to the Mets late Wednesday night, everyone got what they wanted.

For this season, anyway. Potentially more.

We’ll put aside the terms for a moment, because Alonso never could have imagined that he’d be coming back to Flushing on a two-year, $54 million deal, a so-called bridge contract that allows him to opt out after pocketing $30 million the first year.

This was not how Alonso figured his first big swing at free agency would go.

Sometimes, however, things just work out for the best, and there’s no denying that both Alonso and the Mets needed this relationship to continue. After three months of posturing, with each side trying to project that it would be fine without the other, the truth ultimately prevailed.

This was the right fit for all the parties involved. For as much as Mets owner Steve Cohen put Alonso and his agent, Scott Boras, on blast during last month’s fanfest at Citi Field, the message was received loud and clear in the Polar Bear’s camp. If Alonso truly wanted to remain a Met, he’d be doing it on their terms, and Cohen, as he usually does, got his way.

In turn, the Mets made Alonso the sport’s highest-paid player at his position, as his $30 million salary for this season bumps him past the Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who’s earning $28.5 million in his final year before hitting free agency.

That’s something of a W for Alonso, as fleeting as that figures to be, but the hero’s welcome that awaits him in Flushing should help mitigate the sting of the longer-term millions left on the table for now.

Alonso’s home is at Citi Field, and to the fans who clamored for him all winter, he still belongs there. Despite all their cold business acumen, Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns grew up Mets fans themselves, so there was a part of them that could appreciate the sentimental tug on their paying customers.

Even so, the team’s top decision-makers kept that card close to their vests during these negotiations. Stearns was cheered at last month’s fanfest for saying how much they loved Alonso despite the contract impasse. Stearns then was roundly booed for explaining how the Mets would, if necessary, turn to the next generation of younger players to fill the gap.

In Cohen’s case, he had to drown out chants of “We want Pete!” while providing in rare detail an explanation for why he had yet to bring Alonso back into the fold. At one point, Cohen went as far as to say that the negotiations were “exhausting,” even “worse” than the historic discussions that yielded his record 15-year, $765 million contract with Juan Soto.

Hearing that, it certainly sounded as if Alonso was through in Flushing. But Cohen didn’t make his $25 billion fortune by accident, and when he insisted he’d stay flexible for any future conversations, you figured there was a glimmer of hope beneath all that bluster.

That was enough to keep the two sides talking, as well as the Mets understanding all along that their best shot at going deep into October again involved Alonso being on the roster.

It just didn’t make much sense otherwise. Could the Mets have made it work by moving slugging prodigy Mark Vientos to first base with the perpetually underachieving Brett Baty taking over at third? Would highly touted prospect Luisangel Acuna have been a factor? Possibly. But these were dice rolls for a team fresh off a six-game NLCS loss to the eventual world champion Dodgers.

Alonso, despite a relatively disappointing walk year, is a known quantity. Not to mention a homegrown power bat beloved by the fan base, and there’s big value in that for both sides. Why break the bank for Soto, giving him perks galore, and then skimp on a few bucks for Alonso, who was desperately needed to provide some protection for the Mets’ newly minted $765 million man?

Sure, Alonso belted a career-low 34 homers last season. But since 2019, across MLB, only Aaron Judge (232) has hit more home runs than Alonso’s 226.

Alonso is almost certain to become the Mets’ all-time leader this year, with David Wright (242) and Darryl Strawberry (252) the only two ahead of him.

Wright, who will have his No. 5 retired this season, had his magical Flushing career cut short by debilitating back and neck injuries. Strawberry, another legendary Met, bolted for Los Angeles in free agency when his relationship with the front office soured. It’s a move that he’s never stopped regretting to this day.

Now Alonso, another homegrown slugger, gets another chance at polishing his star in a Mets uniform, the only one he’s ever worn. Not many get that chance.

For now, it could be for only one more year. But if these Mets do what many believe is possible with Alonso back in the lineup, along with Vientos, Soto and Francisco Lindor at the top, there’s a better shot that he’ll have a chance at sticking around much longer.

“He’s a special player,” Mike Piazza said at last month’s fanfest. “Guys that can hit 40 home runs are not just walking down the street . . . Just pray, go to church, light a candle and hopefully it works out.”

For Mets fans, those prayers were answered late Wednesday night, in the best possible outcome for everyone involved.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.