NY Mets have a non-Kyle Schwarber power hitting option to consider

There is a real chance the New York Mets may lose franchise home run leader Pete Alonso in free agency this offseason. If he leaves, the Mets will have to look for someone, not just to play first base, but to replace his power output. The Polar Bear slugged 38 home runs, marking the fifth time in six seasons he’s gone yard 35+ times (not including 2020). Many fans want the Mets to go after Kyle Schwarber for designated hitter and steal him away from the Philadelphia Phillies. However, an alternative that shouldn’t be overlooked is another top free agent slugger, veteran third baseman Eugenio Suarez.

2025 was one of Suarez’s best seasons for power. He hit .228/.296/.526 with a .347 wOBA and 125 wRC+ for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners this year. His 49 home runs match a career-high he set with the Cincinnati Reds in 2019, a season in which he played half of his games in an extremely hitter-friendly park, and at the peak of the juiced ball. Overall, Suarez had a .298 isolated slugging percentage, the fifth-best among all qualified hitters. 

Suarez’s season wasn’t without its flaws. His 7% walk rate was his lowest free pass percentage since his 2015 sophomore campaign. Suarez regularly strikes out at a high rate, and 2025 was no different. His K% came in at 29.8% in 2025. He also saw a dip in production, going from a 141 wRC+ with the D-Backs to a 91 mark with the Seattle Mariners. But he did make up for it in the Postseason, with ten total hits, three home runs, and four walks. But 2026 will be his age-34 season, and he will turn 35 during July, so he is closer to the twilight of his career.

Eugenio Suarez should be a slugger on the NY Mets' radar.

The Mets already have third base covered with Brett Baty, but Suarez would be a very outside-the-box idea as a replacement for Alonso at first base. His defense at the hot corner regularly receives mixed reviews by defensive stats. He has -24 defensive runs saved for his career, but +21 outs above average. UZR/150 meets them in the middle, pinning him as about an average glove at +0.4. 

Suarez did log six innings at first base, but he could still be an option at designated hitter. This was the first year he graded out negatively in the eyes of both DRS and OAA, at -6 and -3, respectively. Given his age, his defensive skills may only continue to deteriorate at third base. The Mets could still utilize Suarez at third base, as he wasn't completley unplayable.

That would also give the Mets more flexibility with the DH role than if they signed Schwarber. Schwarber is a DH and DH only. He has only appeared in 13 games in the outfield over the last two seasons, and the last time he played the outfield semi-regularly was in 2023, when he had -20 defensive runs saved in only 872.1 innings in left field. Suarez could spell Baty at third base, and they could slowly begin to introduce him at first base by also putting him at DH more frequently than in previous seasons.

While Kyle Schwarber is the big fish when it comes to slugging free agents this offseason, Eugenio Suarez should be somewhere on the Mets’ radar. With a need at designated hitter, and the Mets’ franchise home run leader potentially leaving in free agency, which would leave a hole at a corner infield position, Suarez could fill multiple needs for the Mets. Plus, they can keep the DH slot in the line-up open more frequently than if they signed Schwarber.