3 questions we'd ask Mets POBO David Stearns if he was given truth serum

General Managers nowadays are careful to not reveal any information. Pretty much everyone not named Brian Cashman keeps everything close to the vest in an attempt from losing any sort of leverage.

Saying the "right" thing is paramount when speaking to the media. The "right" thing might not always be the truth. New York Mets fans want to hear what new President of Baseball Operations David Stearns actually thinks about his new roster and what his plans are for the present and future.

If we could actually get Stearns to reveal what he's really thinking, these are questions occupying plenty of mind space inside the heads of many Mets fans.

1) Do you actually want to extend Pete Alonso?

It's no secret that Pete Alonso is entering his final year of team control. If he is not extended sometime before the season ends, he'll enter free agency. No, that doesn't mean he's going to leave, but it makes things interesting.

The Mets have shown no desire to extend their slugging first baseman. They reportedly have not even met with him to discuss an extension. They haven't exactly been shopping him, but they've been picking up the phone when other GM's have called them about him. The question has to be asked at this point. Do the Mets even want to extend him long-term?

Alonso is going to ask for a lot of money, and deservingly so. He's one of the best power hitters in the game, and has the chance to obliterate several Mets franchise records if he does stay. The question is, do the Mets want to extend a player who will be a free agent when he turns 30 for seven or eight years?

It's important for people running the franchise to have no emotional attachment to players. At the end of the day, we want to see this team win first and foremost. If Alonso isn't viewed as a player who can help this team win (for reasons I will not understand) that'd be good information to have. We just want to know what Stearns thinks about Pete. He's said the right things but hasn't acted like someone who is so eager to keep him around long-term.

2) Will the Mets attempt to compete if they miss out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto?

In many ways, it feels like this Mets offseason hedges entirely on what happens with Yoshinobu Yamamoto. We haven't heard much about them being connected to any other major free agent. Even Shohei Ohtani.

The Mets appear to be all in on this Japanese right-hander, and they should feel pretty good about their chances thanks to Steve Cohen's wallet. With so many teams interested in him, it's far from a guarantee that Yamamoto will end up in Flushing. What happens if he does not sign with the Mets?

Yamamoto is the top free agent remaining on the board, but there are still several starting pitchers the Mets can sign if they don't land him. Guys like Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell will fetch nine-figure deals somewhere. They can even turn to a guy like Shota Imanaga who should get close to nine figures. The problem with those guys is they're all 30 years old or older. Yamamoto is just 25.

If they fail to get the young ace, will they make win-now types of moves by signing expensive 30+ year olds? Or will they focus on more reclamation projects? If they do the latter, it's hard to see this team really competing in a tough division and league. If that's the case, is Alonso expendable?

The free agents New York has signed thus far are guys who have been good in the past but were bad last season. Luis Severino was arguably the worst pitcher in baseball when healthy. It feels like they'll try their best to compete if Yamamoto signs, but we could be looking at more bargain-bin moves if he doesn't.