"David Stearns is still looking for a reliever. The tier of reliever is the question," Martino said. "All of this is related to [Pete] Alonso, too."

Per Martino, what the Mets wind up doing relief-wise could potentially impact the likelihood of Alonso being re-signed.

Martino cited the dollars recently committed to Minter ($11 million in 2025) and Jesse Winker ($7.5 million in 2025), explaining that adding a higher-tier reliever to the payroll could mean there's less room for Alonso.

"If you go get a Kenley Jansen or somebody kind of on the expensive side reliever, then it becomes even harder to sign Alonso," Martino noted. "If you get Ryne Stanek or something -- to bring him back -- maybe there's a little more room for Alonso. So all these pieces are kind of related, but all of that is to say reliever."

Jansen made $16 million last season with the Red Sox, while Stanek earned $4 million as he spent the season with the Mariners and Mets.

In addition to Jansen, other more expensive relievers still available via free agency include David Robertson and Carlos Estevez.

It seems likely that Jansen (entering his age-37 season) and Robertson (entering his age-40 season) might only require one-year deals, while the 32-year-old Estevez is reportedly seeking a multiyear pact.

The Mets currently have $296.1 million committed to the payroll for this season, which is just under the top luxury tax tier of $301 million.

Signing a reliever like Jansen or Robertson would put the Mets over that threshold, as would re-signing Alonso.