To say Tuesday morning was a rough one for New York Mets fans would be an understatement. Not only did Kyle Schwarber, a player they showed interest in, re-sign with the team's division rival, the Philadelphia Phillies, but mere minutes later star closer Edwin Diaz signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Losing out on Diaz was always a possibility, but losing him to that team on what turned out to be a pretty affordable contract really stings.
Now, with two ideal Mets targets off the board, it's on David Stearns to pivot. A logical one would be to re-sign Pete Alonso, the best power hitter on the market now that Schwarber is off the board. New York is opening the door for other teams to swoop in and sign him, though, based on MLB.com's Mark Feinsand's latest reporting.
Mets open the door for Pete Alonso departure
"The sticking point between the Mets and Alonso could very well be years, as sources say that the Mets may be hesitant to go more than three years with the first baseman," Feinsand wrote.
The Mets are reportedly hesitant to give Alonso more than three years on a new deal, so there's reason to believe that if he gets an offer for four or more years from another team, he'll likely depart.
On one hand, this conservative approach with a 31-year-old first baseman (who is among the worst defenders at his position) makes some sense. Alonso will probably be a full-time DH in two or three years, and arguably should be one right now. Right-handed, power-focused first basemen often don't age well, and that makes it unlikely that Alonso is a key contributor in four or five years.
On the other hand, even if Alonso's contract doesn't age well, can the Mets really afford to lose him?
It'd be hard for the Mets to improve without re-signing Pete Alonso
Say what you want about his defense, his base running and his age, but Alonso is still one of the premier run producers in the game, and he's coming off arguably his most well-rounded offensive season. Alonso slashed .272/.347/.524 with 38 home runs and 126 RBI. He even led the National League with 41 doubles as well.
Alonso has hit at least 36 home runs and driven in at least 88 runs in each of his six full seasons (excluding the shortened 2020 campaign) and is the Mets' all-time leader in home runs. In addition to his consistent run-producing abilities, Alonso has played in at least 152 games in each of his full seasons in the Majors (again, excluding 2020), which is hard to find around the league.
Alonso's 264 home runs since 2019 rank third, trailing only Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber, and his 1,008 games played in that span lead the Majors. It's hard to find a player more consistent than the Polar Bear.
To put it simply, the Mets need his bat in their lineup, even with his shortcomings. Without him, who is there to lean on? Juan Soto is great, and the same can be said about Francisco Lindor, but who is their third-best hitter? Brett Baty? Marcus Semien? It's not good enough. The only hitter available who is comfortably better than Alonso is Kyle Tucker, who the Mets are probably unlikely to sign.
As important as run prevention is, the Mets need to create runs to win games, too. Their reluctance to give Alonso more than three years could come back to bite them, given the unlikelihood that they'll acquire a better hitter to replace him. And that stance could allow any of these dark horses to sign him.
Mets could end up losing Pete Alonso to any of these three teams
Pittsburgh Pirates
Sure, it's a long shot that the Pittsburgh Pirates actually sign Pete Alonso, but they reportedly made a four-year, $120 million offer to Kyle Schwarber. If they were willing to give Schwarber that offer, would they be willing to potentially give Alonso, a younger player, something in that ballpark? Again, it's unlikely, but the Pirates have some money to spend and are on the prowl for a power bat.
Baltimore Orioles
It might be more likely that the Baltimore Orioles, a team in dire need of a rotation upgrade, splurge on one of the frontline starters available, but they, too, reportedly made Schwarber a hefty offer and have been among the most connected teams to Alonso. The Orioles could make room for him at first base or DH and make a pretty good lineup, one of the American League's best when healthy.
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox might even be the favorites over the Mets to sign Alonso at this point. Not only do they desperately need a big power bat to plug into the middle of their order, but Alonso's swing is tailor-made for Fenway Park. The Red Sox should have money to spend, and can easily make room for him at first base or DH.
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