Pete Alonso blunder the loudest of David Stearns many Mets whiffs

Of all David Stearns’ misfires last winter, probably none resonates louder than at first base. The all-time Mets home run leader is playing at a typical Pete Alonso level for the Orioles.He began Monday with an .812 OPS and 22 homers; not surprisingly, he had appeared in all 106 games for his new team. Stearns, the Mets president of baseball operations, signed Jorge Polanco to play first base.

Polanco has played only two games at the position.Mark Vientos was miscast at first base before hitting the injured list with a broken hand.

Jared Young has at least brought a level of respectability to the position, but it’s hard to view a decent stretch by Plan C as organizational success.  Don’t miss Mike Puma’s text messages from Queens and beyond — he’s giving Sports+ subscribers the inside buzz on the Mets.Also, Alonso has excelled defensively.

This comes after Stearns’ main talking point heading into the offseason seemed directed at Alonso: the need to improve run prevention.Alonso is three outs above average defensively, placing him in MLB’s 85th percentile. Francisco Lindor was asked before Monday’s game if the Mets front office miscalculated by not bringing back Alonso. “We do all miss Pete,” Lindor said.

“We love him and he’s a great player and he’s going to be one of the greatest Mets to ever play.I think they made an effort [to keep him].

All I know is they thought they were going to improve the team.At the end of the day, we love Pete.

We miss Pete.” Whether the Mets tried to keep Alonso depends on how you view the seven-year, $158 million offer extended to him two years before he hit free agency.Last November, Alonso was realistically a goner after the Orioles offered him $155 million over five years.

The Mets never countered.Within days they signed Polanco to a two-year deal worth $40 million. Stearns had a brutal offseason, importing Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien and Luis Robert Jr.

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