Even when it looked as though the Mets were ready to move on from the Polar Bear, a reunion never felt far off.

For much of the offseason, Alonso’s return was no guarantee. At points, Stearns said, he thought “there was a very real possibility that he was going to end up elsewhere.” Cohen described the talks as “exhausting” in late January, adding “I don’t like what’s been presented to us.”

PORT ST. LUCIE — The Mets can expect a “motivated” Pete Alonso this season. David Stearns, the team’s president of baseball operations, used that description of the slugging first baseman Wednesday after Alonso’s two-year contract worth $54 million for a return to the Mets became official.

The former Plant High standout says hearing from Mets management that it wanted him back helped seal the deal.

Pete Alonso has a message for New York Mets owner Steve Cohen: “Sorry.” Cohen took the unprecedented step of talking about free agent negotiations publicly a few weeks ago, characterizing them as “exhausting” to a group of fans and media at the team’s Amazin’ Day event.

Alonso, 30, has spent his entire professional career with the Mets organization and ranks third for the franchise with 226 home runs.

Pete Alonso needed assistance from the New York Mets’ training staff after taking a ball to the face at spring training, but he returned to the practice field soon after.

Alonso accepted a contract that guaranteed the slugger $54M over two years and included an opt-out after the upcoming season.