NY Mets deal with Pete Alonso aligns well even if they miss on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Now that the dust has settled on the news that Pete Alonso is returning to the New York Mets, it's time to look at the future of the first base position. Although it's great that Alonso is coming back and will help the team drastically in 2025, it's only a two-year contract with an opt-out after 2025. There's no guarantee that Alonso will be on this team past this season. Thus leaving the future of the position up in the air.

Many fans have already dubbed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as the backup option if Pete leaves. The Blue Jays superstar is entering the final year of club control and looks poise to get a big contract. However, with the Jays seemingly in on every big-name free agent, it's hard to imagine they let a homegrown star walk. But, this lack of future at first opens the door for Ryan Clifford to take the job.

Why Ryan Clifford can be the future at first base for the Mets

The Mets acquired Clifford back at the 2022 trade deadline. He along with prospect Drew Gilbert were the package the Mets got back from the Astros for Justin Verlander. Since joining the Mets organization he's quickly climbed the prospect ranking list. At the end of the 2024 season, MLB Pipeline had him as the fourth-best prospect in the Mets system and the 97th overall prospect in baseball. He's also the seventh-best first base prospect.

Clifford's biggest strength has been his power ability. It's due to this power that's allowed him to become a household name in the prospect world. In 2024 he slashed .228/.372/.421 with 19 home runs and 68 RBIs. While these numbers don't seem impressive, this is due to him playing 31 games in High-A Brooklyn, a notoriously hard park for lefties to hit in. Once he got to Double-A his numbers improved. He slashed .231/.359/.456 with 18 home runs, 58 RBIs, and a wRC+ of 133. He ranked third in wRC+ in Double-A for players 20 and younger.

Although there is a lot of promise with Clifford, he does have a lot to work on if he wants to be a big leaguer. Currently, Clifford is viewed as a three-true outcome player. While this has become a norm at the big league level, you like to see him hit higher than the low 200s at the lower levels. If he can barely hit his weight in the Double-A, it doesn't bode well for what his stats will be as he gets to Triple-A and the majors. He also only has one full season as a first baseman under his belt.

However, Alonso's contract fits perfectly with Clifford's timeline. Clifford is expected to be ready for the bigs sometime in 2026. With Alonso having one potentially two years in Queens it gives him time to develop. He can focus these next two seasons on becoming a more versatile hitter and be ready once Pete leaves. If Alonso opts out and leaves at the end of 2025, the Mets can simply get a veteran or move Baty or Vientos to first until he's ready.

While Mets fans rather stars like Alonso or Guerrero Jr. at first, Clifford has all the tools to be a staple at the position.