The Pete Alonso dilemma at the center of Mets’ offseason

Pete Alonso is likely facing a different kind of free agency this time as he prepares to opt out of his contract.

The Mets played hardball with the star first baseman last winter — essentially challenging Alonso to prove his worthiness of a long-term deal — and he responded.

It was a season that ended in disappointment for the club, one victory short of the playoffs to complete a second-half nosedive. But from a personal standpoint, the season ranked among Alonso’s finest: a .272/.347/.524 slash line with 38 homers and 126 RBIs.

After negotiations last offseason that team owner Steve Cohen termed “exhausting,” Alonso returned on a two-year contract worth $54 million that includes an opt-out after the World Series concludes. Alonso has already said he intends to exercise that opt-out.