David Stearns addresses Mets contract negotiations with Pete Alonso

The Polar Bear re-signed with the Mets a short time before spring training on a two-year, $54 million deal, which includes a player opt-out after the first season. This came after a long offseason that produced many twists and turns about whether he was going to return to New York or play elsewhere.

And with Alonso likely to exercise his opt-out if he reaches that point, many Mets are hoping that he'll sign a long-term deal with New York this season.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was asked about contract negotiations on Friday and offered a response.

“He’s been an enormous offensive component of our team,” Stearns said, per an article from Manny Gómez of NJ Advance Media. “I think our lineup is now, as a whole, functioning at a really high level... Pete’s been right in the middle of all of it since day one. He’s, I think, really taken his offensive game to another level, and it’s been fun to see.”

Stearns clearly didn't want to get too direct about any potential contract talks, which might suggest the two sides aren't speaking about it.