Past Phillies rumors are bound to resurface to aggravate NY Mets fans

We love Pete Alonso. What is there not to love? He's a good guy, he's embraced being a Met, and he's been the best slugger in team history. Speaking as a born and raised Mets fan of 30 years, outside of David Wright, there hasn't been a more beloved figure during the 21st century. He was drafted a Met, he came up a Met, and he's risen to elite status as a Met.

The only issue is that all of that may be coming to a close very soon. Pete Alonso opted out of the remaining two years on his three-year deal this offseason. Based on the numbers he put up in 2025, this was not surprising. While fans hope David Stearns and Uncle Stevie dole out the cash necessary to retain Pete, a past rumor of interdivision poaching is sure to pop back up.

And recent developments have made this rumor all the more likely.

Bryce Harper's return to the outfield should ignite plenty of Pete Alonso to Philadelphia chatter

Bryce Harper has become everything Phillies fans would want. When it helped the team for him to move to first base, he did so happily. And last offseason, he made it clear to his front office that while he loves first base, he'd gladly move back into right field if it was going to help the team.

So the Phillies had a plan all set if they were to bring in Alonso. Pete signed a short-term deal with the Mets instead. Now, just one offseason later, there's no reason the Phillies, with plenty of financial resources, wouldn't explore this option again. And there's no reason that both respective media markets won't jump on every ounce of this possibility.

Seemingly only to reignite these rumors (that's how it feels as a Mets fan), the Phillies plan to move on from current right fielder Nick Castellanos. This opens up a spot for Bryce Harper to return to his true position, which in turn opens up a massive gaping hole at first base. Perhaps, a polar bear-sized hole.

Philadelphia is poised for significant retooling after yet another failed playoff run. They have had plenty of pop offensively in recent years via power bats like Harper and Kyle Schwarber, along with consistent base hitters like Trae Turner, Alec Bohm, and Brandon Marsh. Schwarber's contract is expiring, though. This, mixed in with the imminent dismissal of Castellanos, makes the Pete/Phillies marriage all the more plausible.

Schwarber gave the Phillies 56 home runs and 132 RBIs, both of which led the league. Almost no one in baseball can even come close to replacing that production. Pete Alonso's 38 home runs, 126 RBIs, and .871 OPS in 2025, however, certainly have something to say. Pete's also a little bit younger and doesn't need to be a DH like Schwarber. It makes more and more sense for the Phils the more you talk about it.

If Pete's wearing red (really more like pink) pinstripes, eating greasy cheesestakes, using the phrase "go birds" on Sundays, and suddenly pronouncing "water" wrong in 2026, I'll be upset. He just broke Darryl Strawberry's home run record. He just had probably the best season of his career. Fans love him and he loves the fans. We're talking about the guy who coined "LFGM." This can't happen.

While this "can't happen," it really could happen. And the rumors are going to begin swirling in short order. All fans can do is sit back, cross their fingers, and hope against hope that Scott Boras doesn't get in the way of a perfect player/franchise pairing.