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.

2) Houston Astros

Would the Houston Astros pay another first baseman big money? The Jose Abreu free agent signing turned out to be a disaster. Jon Singleton ended up as their primary first baseman. He had a very average year with 13 home runs and a .234/.321/.386 slash line in 405 plate appearances.

C’mon now. We were supposed to think the Astros were serious about competing again in 2024 with this in place? They managed to fight hard in the latter part of the season after a slow start. Ultimately, they were bounced from the playoffs in one round. They’ll need to regroup before opening the 2025 season where they’ll conveniently play the Mets. Will Alonso be in attendance and in what uniform?

The Astros’ offseason can go in a couple of directions. They can take a step back from signing any major pieces. There’s a possibility they keep as much intact as they possibly can. Third baseman Alex Bregman is their biggest free agent for teams to fight over.

Alonso is probably a little more out of their price range with one exception: what if he goes for a short-term deal with a high AAV? This would make him much more desirable for a competitive team that tends to shy away from any ridiculously big contracts. 

4) San Francisco Giants

Last year’s theme for the San Francisco Giants seemed to include them becoming a destination for many free agents who were passed up on by other teams. Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler, etc. all ended up in San Francisco. The team failed to make the postseason. Blame it on a non-committal at the trade deadline. They traded Soler to the Atlanta Braves. They acquired Mark Canha from the Detroit Tigers. How ironic that the Tigers would end up in the playoffs.

Power hitters don’t usually like to sign with the Giants because of the ballpark. It’s one of the reasons why J.D. Martinez said “thanks but no thanks” to them last offseason. If it’s the best offer Alonso gets, he might not have much of a choice.

LaMonte Wade Jr. had the majority of plate appearances at first base for the Giants last year. However, he isn’t a slugger. The Giants have missed out in the past of adding someone capable of clobbering a league-leading home run total. Hometown kid Aaron Judge turning them down to rejoin the Yankees is the most notable.

San Francisco isn’t an ideal place for Alonso to sign if he’s going to have a contract with an opt out. Their ballpark doesn’t suit him well enough to pad his stats before a second trip into free agency. The resolution, if they want him bad enough, is to make this well-known Mets slugger the best offer he gets.

5) Washington Nationals

It’s not such a sneaky team to throw in here. Rumors of the Washington Nationals being a place for Alonso to sign are actually out there.

The Braves and Phillies are off the board. If he’s going to stay in the NL East and not with the Mets, the Nationals are about perfect for a team on the rise. In fact, many are still under the belief they’ll make another attempt to sign Soto.

Where the Nationals greatly benefit is having enough payroll space to make Alonso a ridiculous offer. They’ve stayed away from any sort of long-term commitments since Soto was traded in mid-2022. The focus has been on the younger players. Eventually, they’re going to need to find another Jayson Werth to signal to the rest of the league they’re ready to start competing for the playoffs.

Much like the Baltimore Orioles in some recent offseasons, the Nationals should be a ball club everyone expects to take their shot at top free agents. Speaking on behalf of baseball fans, it’s about time. From a Mets perspective, they can’t wait a little while longer? It felt good knowing they were on the schedule so often and easily beatable. Alonso won’t automatically make them a World Series contender, but it could be the start of building up a good team again.