Potential extensions for Pete Alonso, Kyle Tucker won’t come easy

Signing Pete Alonso to that two-year, $54M deal (plus opt-out) might be the smartest thing the Mets did. But considering the difficulty the Mets had forging a deal with their beloved slugger in winter, it’s a long shot to extend him in season.

One more complication: If the annual salary on a long deal would be, conservatively, $5M more — say $35M instead of $30M — that’d cost the Mets $10.5M since they are at the 110 percent “Steve Cohen tax” level.

Mets first base Pete Alonso (20) reacts after he hits an RBI double driving home New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) to tie the game in the 10th inning against the Philadelphia Phillies. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

And Alonso, third in MLB for OPS entering Thursday (1.122), surely will seek $35M-plus after Vladimir Guerrero got $35.7M on his $500M, 14-year deal. (And realistically, Vlad Jr. is actually worth way more than the $35.7M in the initial years since the final years are presumed gifts.) It’s early, but Alonso is on pace to out-hit Guerrero for a third year in four — though, of course, Alonso is four-plus years older, necessitating a much shorter deal.

Alonso, who’ll almost surely opt out to become an unfettered free agent, seems “on a mission,” Mets people say. Even his defense seems improved.