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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The New York Mets realize a long-term deal with Pete Alonso is unlikely before the star first baseman is eligible for free agency after the World Series.

Alonso agreed last month to a $20.5 million, one-year contract that avoided arbitration. He switched agents last fall to Scott Boras, who usually encourages players to maximize value by testing the open market.

“That’s probably the most likely outcome,” new president of baseball operations David Stearns said Monday, two days ahead of the Mets’ first spring training workout.

“Look, when you have a really talented player, who’s really good, who’s entering his final year of club control, who happens to be represented by Scott Boras, these things generally end up into free agency and we understand that,” Stearns added. “This is an organization that’s dealt with that before with really good players and has ended up in a perfectly fine spot.”

A three-time All-Star, Alonso hit a career-low .217 last year with 46 homers and 118 RBIs, down from a .271 average in 2022, when he hit 40 homers and tied for the major league lead with 131 RBIs. Alonso set a rookie home run record with 53 in 2019, when he had 120 RBIs.

“I have not seen Pete here yet, haven’t talked to him here yet, but what we’re going to talk about is, look, let’s go out and have a great year together,” Stearns said. “You go out have a great year. Let’s have a great year as a team, and if we do that we’re both going to be set up, the organization and Pete, are going to be set up very well going into the offseason.”

Taking over a team that failed spectacularly last season, Stearns is optimistic New York can reach the playoffs this year despite a payroll retrenchment.

“As I talked to our players throughout the offseason, really from the moment I took the job, they wanted me to know how good they think the team is,” Stearns said. “They wanted me to know that they didn’t think the way ’23 played out was indicative of the talent level on the team.”

Convinced they were a World Series contender following an offseason spending spree, the Mets finished fourth in the NL East at 75-87 after a midsummer selloff that dispatched former Cy Young Award winners Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer along with closer David Robertson, outfielders Tommy Pham and Mark Canha and reliever Dominic Leone.

New York’s offseason moves include agreements with center fielder Harrison Bader, right-handers Luis Severino, Jorge López, Michael Tonkin and Austin Adams, and infielder Joey Wendle. The Mets acquired right-hander Adrian Houser and outfielder Tyrone Taylor in a trade with Milwaukee and right-hander Yohan Ramirez from the Chicago White Sox.

Right-hander Shintaro Fujinami‘s pending deal is likely to be finalized Wednesday, when the Mets can start using the 60-day injured list to open roster spots.

“We expect to compete for a playoff spot and have exciting baseball at Citi Field in September and October,” Stearns said. “Success can be defined in a lot of different ways, but certainly our expectation going into the season is that we’re going to have a quality team that wins games and is a competitive playoff-caliber team.”

All-Star closer Edwin Díaz is expected back after tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee during the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

“I was incredibly fortunate during my time in Milwaukee to have really good closers throughout the tenure there, and it makes building the rest of your ‘pen and allowing those guys to feel comfortable in their roles a heck of a lot easier,” Stearns said.

Stearns expects the Mets will continue to monitor the workload of 31-year-old left-hander Kodai Senga, who was runner-up in NL Rookie of the Year voting last year. Senga was 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA over 166⅓ innings during his first season in Major League Baseball. The Mets have several pitchers with options.

“We do have this flexibility to really go to that sixth man in the rotation when we want,” Stearns said, “so I think there will be times this season we’ll do that.”

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Red Sox 1B Casas out for year after knee surgery

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Red Sox 1B Casas out for year after knee surgery

BOSTON — Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas suffered a ruptured tendon in his left knee and is out for the remainder of the season, the team said.

The 25-year-old Casas ruptured his patellar tendon running to first on a slow roller up the line and fell awkwardly in Boston’s victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. After laying on his back in pain — not moving the knee — he was carted off on a stretcher before being taken to a Boston hospital.

The team announced Sunday that he had surgery for a left patellar tendon repair at Massachusetts General Hospital. The surgery was performed by Dr. Eric Berkson.

“I talked to him last night,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said in a news conference on Saturday discussing the injury outside Boston’s clubhouse. “We exchanged text messages [Saturday]. We all care deeply about just his overall wellbeing.”

Manager Alex Cora said Casas worked hard during the offseason to play every day after missing a large amount of last year with torn cartilage in his rib cage.

“He did an outstanding job in the offseason to put himself in that situation. It didn’t start the way he wanted it to,” Cora said of Casas’ struggles. “He was going to play and play a lot. Now we’ve got to focus on the rehab after the surgery and hopefully get him back stronger than ever and ready to go next year.”

Casas batted just .182 with three homers and 11 RBIs, but Breslow said his loss will be felt, especially with the team’s lack of depth at the position.

“He certainly struggled through the first month of the season but that didn’t change what we believe his production was capable of being,” Breslow said. “It’s a big loss. In addition to what we think we were going to get on the offensive side, he was kind of like a stabilizing presence on the defensive side of the field — also a big personality and a big part of the clubhouse.”

During spring training, Casas talked about how his focus at the plate this season was being more relaxed.

“You really want it until you don’t,” he said, explaining his thoughts while standing at his locker. “Then you can’t want it that much.”

Now, he’ll have to focus on his recovery plan for next season.

Casas, a left-handed batter, was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with infielder/outfielder Abraham Toro selected from Triple-A Worcester.

Cora said Toro — a switch-hitter — will split time at first along with Romy Gonzalez. who bats right-handed.

Breslow said the team might be exploring a long-term replacement.

“This is unfortunately an opportunity to explore what’s available,” he said. “We’ll look both internally and outside as well.”

Cora said there are no plans to move Rafael Devers, who was replaced at third by offseason free-agent acquisition Alex Bregman and moved to DH.

“We asked him to do something in spring training that in the beginning he didn’t agree with it and now he’s very comfortable doing what he’s doing,” Cora said. “Like I told you guys in spring training, he’s my DH.”

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3B Ramirez (ankle) returns to Guardians’ lineup

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3B Ramirez (ankle) returns to Guardians' lineup

TORONTO — Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez was back in the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, two days after the third baseman left in the third inning because of a mild right ankle sprain.

The six-time All-Star was injured when he stumbled and fell while crossing first base on an infield single. Ramirez went down after being struck in the back by a throw from Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt.

Ramirez was batting third Sunday against right-hander Bowden Francis.

Ramírez sat out Saturday when Cleveland beat Toronto 5-3. He went 2 for 2 before departing Friday, boosting his average to .274. He has five home runs and 15 RBIs in 31 games.

In last Thursday’s 4-3 victory over Minnesota, Ramirez became the first primary third baseman to reach 250 homers and 250 stolen bases.

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Yankees’ Volpe day-to-day after tests on shoulder

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Yankees' Volpe day-to-day after tests on shoulder

NEW YORK — Shortstop Anthony Volpe was not in the New York Yankees‘ starting lineup Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays, a day after he injured his left shoulder on a dive while trying to get to a grounder.

“X-rays, MRI — good news,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s sore today, but I feel like we’re probably in a good spot. We’ll see. Kind of day to day right now.”

Volpe remained in the game after his unsuccessful attempt for a backhand stab on Christopher Morel‘s eighth-inning single, which sparked a two-run rally in Tampa Bay’s 3-2 win Saturday.

Volpe said after the game he heard a pop in the shoulder.

“It’s a little unclear in there. He’s got some stuff that they feel like is older stuff, so hard to know exactly,” Boone said. “He’s definitely a little cranky in the shoulder today.”

Volpe, 24, is hitting .233 with five homers, 19 RBIs and four stolen bases in his third season with the Yankees.

Oswald Peraza was listed to start at shortstop, batting ninth.

New York already is missing second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (strained right oblique), third baseman DJ LeMahieu (strained left calf), ace Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery) and right-hander Luis Gil (right lat strain), the reigning AL Rookie of the Year.

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