DALLAS — The elephant-sized contract and Mets’ addition of Juan Soto were not addressed by either David Stearns or Carlos Mendoza when they met with the media on Monday afternoon from Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings in Dallas.

Despite grabbing the biggest free agent on the market, nothing is official just yet. With that massive move lingering around the corner, the Mets president of baseball operations opined on the team’s remaining needs.

‘We’ve got a lot of work to do,’ Stearns said from a suite at the Hotel Anatole in Dallas. ‘We’ve got a lot of conversations ongoing in free agency and trade. I think this has the potential to be, for the industry, a pretty active Winter Meetings and that’s a good thing. So we’re having a lot of conversations. We’ll see where it goes.’

Even with Soto set to jump ship to Flushing, there remain some voids on the Mets roster, including the top of their rotation, depth of their bullpen, and corner infield.

Mendoza commended the job of the front office in landing right-hander Frankie Montas and outfielder Jose Siri prior to the Winter Meetings.

When it comes to which players deserve a $765 million deal — which Soto is reportedly set to earn — Mendoza said: ‘There’s a lot to like when you’re looking at a player that’s worth that much money, not only what they do on the field but off the field.’

Any movement on Pete Alonso?

Stearns and Mendoza continued to say they would ‘love’ to have Alonso back in the lineup for 2025 after everything he has meant to the franchise and the team’s run to the NLCS.

As for whether the Mets will be able to financially afford Alonso after what they’ve committed to Soto?

‘I think our ownership has consistently demonstrated that there’s going to be resources when we need them,’ Stearns said. ‘There is the ability for us to make baseball moves when we think that they’re there to improve the team, and we’re going to continue to pursue a wide variety of areas to continue to improve our team.’

Mendoza lauded Alonso’s ability to be available throughout his first season as Mets manager. For now, Stearns said that the plan is for Mark Vientos to continue to prepare as if he is the team’s everyday third baseman, which speaks to the Mets’ need to add a first baseman in some capacity during the offseason.

‘We felt really good every time he got to a baseball, the play was made,’ Mendoza said. ‘Good arm, really good hands. His internal clock got better as the year went on. Pretty confident that he could play third base and same thing with (Brett) Baty.’

Where does the Mets pitching stand?

With Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes now officially on the Mets’ roster, the front office has nearly completely filled in some of the gaps left with the free agent candidacies of Luis Severino and Sean Manaea.

Stearns said that there is room to add another starting pitcher but that he does not feel it’s completely necessary, given the team’s depth.

‘We’re going to continue to evaluate the market where we see an opportunity to bring in players that we think are going to make us better,’ Stearns said. ‘We’re certainly going to pursue that. But with some of the moves we’ve been able to make and are working on making, I think we’re getting to a level where it’s no longer a necessity.’

The top of the starting pitching market includes Corbin Burnes, a 30-year-old four-time All-Star, 30-year-old left-hander Max Fried, and 29-year-old Jack Flaherty.

Stearns said it is important to assess each pitcher individually, including their strengths and injury history, to determine whether it’s worth extending an offer. The Mets president has not traditionally offered long-term deals to aging pitchers.

Regarding what the Mets have at their disposal, Mendoza praised the professionalism of both Montas and Holmes. Both pitchers were featured on the Yankees while the Mets manager was serving as the team’s bench coach prior to 2024.

Stearns said the plan is for Tylor Megill, Paul Blackburn, and Jose Butto to all prepare to enter spring training with the idea of being starters.

How are the injured Mets coming along?

The biggest piece of optimism about the state of the Mets roster might have come from Stearns, who revealed that Ronny Mauricio is finally set to begin baseball activities after tearing his ACL during the Dominican Winter League in December 2023.

Mauricio’s rehab had been set back when inflammation began to creep in, but Stearns said that the infield prospect has recently had the best stretch of his rehab progression.

Meanwhile, Blackburn, who underwent a cerebrospinal fluid leak repair on Oct. 11, is recovering well and on track to have a ‘relatively normal spring training.’

Mendoza revealed that Starling Marte was not completely 100 percent down the stretch in the 2024 season as he returned from a right knee bone bruise. But the outfielder, who figures to be supplanted by Soto, is home working through exercises to be back healthy for the final year of his deal in 2025.

‘Even though he wasn’t 100 percent, this is a dynamic player,’ Mendoza said. ‘He can impact the game in a lot of different ways.’