There is no shame in losing to baseball's most expensive team, but the Mets were painfully close to eternal glory. It's hard not to be disappointed by how it all ended. This New York squad will be remembered with extreme fondness,

In the fourth season after Steve Cohen bought the Mets from the Wilpons, New York led the major leagues with a $332 million payroll and is line to pay a $96 million luxury tax. Pitchers Jose Quintana and Luis Severino also can become free agents and Sean Manaea has a player option he could turn down to go free.

The Mets’ 10-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series on Sunday night might go down as Alonso’s final game with the only club he has played for, the organization that drafted him nearly nine years ago.