NL rival threatens to swoop in for Pete Alonso while Mets play hardball

The San Francisco Giants made an under-the-radar trade on Wednesday, sending Tyler Rogers to the Cincinnati Reds in a deal that appeared on the surface to be quite underwhelming for Buster Posey and Co.

Given the fact that Rogers is still a very useful reliever and the Giants are attempting to compete in 2025, the only possible explanation for the trade was San Francisco attempting to clear as much of the $12 million owed to the southpaw. The Giants are reportedly eating some of the money in the trade, but given their return, they probably cleared most of Rogers' money.

Sure, Giants ownership can opt to simply pocket the funds saved from Rogers' contract, but chances are, they'll re-invest it. That would be the only justification baseball-wise for making this trade.

An argument can be made that Pete Alonso is the best position player still available on the open market. While he'll obviously cost a lot more than $12 million, the money saved can help aid the Giants in a potential pursuit of the slugger.

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Recent Giants trade might open the door for Pete Alonso pursuit

The fit for Alonso in San Francisco is clear. The Giants have added two power bats, Willy Adames and Matt Chapman, in the last two offseasons, but they've combined for three seasons of 30+ home runs. Alonso has hit that mark in each of his five full seasons (excluding 2020), including three seasons of 40+ home runs. Adames and Chapman have power, but Alonso is one of the premier sluggers in the sport.

First base is relatively weak for San Francisco, with LaMonte Wade Jr. likely expected to platoon at the position with Wilmer Flores. Alonso is far from a perfect player, but he's obviously a major step up from both Wade and Flores. Whether Alonso would want to play half the time at Oracle Park, one of the more pitcher-friendly parks in the league, remains to be seen, but the 30-year-old has had success in San Francisco, hitting seven home runs in 17 games with a .910 OPS.

Even with the Adames and Verlander additions, this Giants team, on paper, looks like the fourth-best team in a loaded NL West. Trading Rogers away won't help their cause. Adding a player of Alonso's caliber, though, can help catapult them back into Wild Card contention.

Alonso and the New York Mets have been engaged in a game of chicken all offseason. The Mets are open to re-signing Alonso, but only at their number — a number Alonso and agent Scott Boras deemed was not good enough. Whether the Giants would be willing to top New York's offer remains to be seen, but overpaying for one of the few sluggers who would probably be able to put up consistently strong power numbers in San Francisco might be worth their while.

If the Giants are interested in splurging again, the Rogers trade just gave them more money to spend. That could end up proving to be costly for the Mets in their quest to get Alonso to blink first, especially if he ends up joining a National League team they could end up being in competition with for a Wild Card spot.