A sneaky competitor for Pete Alonso in free agency not getting much attention

Talk of trading Pete Alonso won’t go away until the New York Mets actually win on a more consistent basis. Like a bad hip, an obnoxious neighbor, or choices in a presidential election, we’ll just have to deal with it and maybe accept a result we don’t like.

Whether you think Alonso is traded this summer or not doesn’t do much to secure any sense of sovereignty about his future with the Mets. He’ll be a free agent one way or another. Free to choose between discussions with 30 different teams but realistically with only probably around 5 or so where he’d fit, there’s one sneaky competitor not getting a whole lot of attention.

Don’t count out the Giants when it comes to signing Pete Alonso in free agency

The San Francisco Giants have been after a player like Pete Alonso for a while. Aaron Judge turned heel on his hometown team. Carlos Correa’s heels had the Giants running the other way. The team did eventually sign some bigger names this offseason, bringing both Blake Snell and Matt Chapman to town on shorter deals with plenty of opt outs.

Already a team with the Mets player who followed a similar course as Alonso, Michael Conforto, it seems to make too much sense for the Giants to not be in the running for the Polar Bear. They love their Scott Boras clients on short deals, don’t they?

It’s definitely not the most appealing place for a slugger like Alonso. Their ballpark, despite once employing the single season home run champion, is hellish on power hitters. Their first baseman this year, LaMonte Wade Jr., is anything but a thrasher with power. A brilliant hitter, he’s an early challenger for the batting title but nowhere near competing for the league lead in home runs.

Wade can play the corner outfield spots in addition to first base. He even has some experience in center field. Actually older than Alonso, the 2025 season will be his final year of arbitration eligibility. If he continues to have an awesome year in 2024, the Giants could look to sell him high and replace him with a more prototypical power bat in the offseason. He could always stay anyway with the team losing Conforto and Austin Slater in free agency.

Future destinations for Alonso haven’t been discussed much. The Chicago Cubs always come up. The Milwaukee Brewers were a rumored trade destination in the past and could make sense if Rhys Hoskins doesn’t return. The Boston Red Sox and even the New York Yankees are other considerations. While he'd prefer a place where he can more easily hit home runs, it's not as if Citi Field has held him back considerably.

Too much is connected between the situation Alonso will enter in the offseason and what the Giants have done in the past for us to completely ignore the possibility. A short deal with an opt out after one season is a reasonable conclusion. Where the money is will be where Boras’ client goes. The Giants, having proven they will pay big bucks on a variety of deals, shouldn’t be counted out.