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. 

3) Seattle Mariners

Ah, a familiar contender for Alonso. The Mets were never going to trade him to the Yankees. The Astros seemed more like an in-season darkhorse to acquire him. The Seattle Mariners, on the other hand, always seems to be a match for what the Mets have. Someone out there, I know you’re out there, assembled a mock trade involving Alonso and teammate Jeff McNeil going to the Mariners for pitching.

Seattle’s first base woes came largely due to the underperformance of Ty France. No longer with the team, the M’s should check in on exactly what it will take to bring Alonso to their city. Their putrid offense got in the way of a brilliantly pitched season. Before they know it, the Mariners are going to see themselves waste employing one of the best starting pitching staffs of the 2020s because the team couldn’t hit well enough.

It’s easy to forget the Mariners exist because of how little they’ve accomplished. Their location doesn’t help much either. Our Big Apple mindsets can overlook them as a legitimate threat. We shouldn’t. The Mariners are a couple of competent bats away from being one of the best teams in MLB. Alonso is one of those available men who can help them get there.

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.