The Mets believed they had struck a deal with Trevor Bauer

There was a point in the last 24 hours of trading when the Mets believed they had reached a deal with Trevor Bauer, three sources told the Post. They felt the terms had been agreed to by both parties and that they were working with one of his agents, Jon Fetterolf, to finalize the details.

But there was no signed condition sheet – a key part of commemorating a contract was more formally agreed upon – and there was the Dodgers.

And Thursday night, the Dodgers had gone from hiding to hiding, starting one final push that would see them land the best free agency starter on Friday. Los Angeles felt that if he was close to an even offer between the Dodgers and the Mets, Bauer would prefer his Southern California roots and the Dodgers close to some league titles and modern launch program.

The Mets had offered a three-year, $ 105 million pact that could be worth $ 80 million if Bauer stepped down after two years. But they feared that even though they were first in money terms, they were second where Bauer wanted to be, and the Mets worried he might not prefer New York City, in particular. The deal with the Dodgers that Bauer ultimately struck was three years at $ 102 million, with $ 85 million available in the first two years, but possibly with carryovers that would reduce the present value.

A source said Mets chairman Sandy Alderson, who has been involved in three organizations over the past four decades, felt he had never engaged in such a scale of negotiations and had not finalized the ‘agreement.

Fetterolf and Alderson said they would not comment on the details of the negotiations.