5 biggest threats to sign Mets free agent Pete Alonso away from Queens

Let’s not overlook how important Pete Alonso has been to the New York Mets and how many more years he can contribute. This past season was a bit of a down year even with an All-Star selection and a lot more run production than you’d find from the majority of first basemen in the league.

Alonso’s free agency has been a storyline all year, mainly because the assumption was always that he’d end up traded midseason. Then a big purple blob threw out the first pitch at a Mets game. Alonso wasn’t going to get traded after all.

The longtime Mets first baseman is one of the top available at any position this winter. We’d be lucky to have him back. However, with dreams of Juan Soto eating up a large chunk of the payroll and other teams ready to pay Alonso more than the Mets view his value at, we need to consider the threat of him leaving. These five ball clubs could really use a first baseman like him on their roster.

1) New York Yankees

Let’s start with a nightmare scenario first. This is probably the worst-case scenario. Lucky for us, the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies have first basemen they really like already. Unlucky for us, we need to play Matt Olson and Bryce Harper often.

The New York Yankees shouldn’t hesitate to sign Alonso. While playing nice with the Mets is something they’ve done and vice versa, this is a different beast than when Aaron Judge became available. The superstar outfielder turned postseason pumpkin was never a realistic match for the Mets when he became available. Steve Cohen and friends backed off from even making any type of pursuit. The Yankees won’t feel the same way about Alonso with the Mets standing tall as one of the top suitors for Juan Soto.

The first base situation for the Yankees was terrible in 2024. Their .619 OPS from the position was the worst of any ball club. Anthony Rizzo’s time with the ball club will finally conclude, unless they do something foolish like bring him back.

A stir is always created whenever a player jumps from one New York team to the other. Alonso would be one of the most significant to do so. Believe in this threat, especially if Soto ends up in Queens.