3 teams Pete Alonso could prefer over the Mets in MLB free agency

The New York Mets have quite a lot on their plate this upcoming offseason. They have an extremely talented roster, but they need to make a few more additions to be that perennial World Series candidate that they want to be.

The big fish that they will go for is Juan Soto of the New York Yankees. But they also need to add pitching, and they need to prioritize bringing Pete Alonso, who's entering unrestricted free agency, back to the Big Apple.

Over the last two years, Pete Alonso's name has been thrown out there at the trade deadline. New York has held onto him and it's been the right decision each time. But having his name mentioned in trades has to be stressful and it likely strains the relationship between Alonso and the Mets.

There are a handful of situations that Alonso may prefer over the Mets, especially if New York lands Soto and doesn't have nearly the same amount of money to pay the Polar Bear.

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3. San Diego Padres

Out of all the teams in Major League Baseball, it's the San Diego Padres that have shown more willingness to be aggressive than anybody. This includes the Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees, who are all three associated with spending the most money.

The Padres have gone out and made huge trades for a good chunk of their roster and they add the same amount of talent in free agency. When Pete Alonso hits the open market, they should be looked at as one of the favorites to land him.

The Padres' lineup is so deep with talent, but if you had to choose a soft spot in the starting nine, it might be at first base. Not a huge hole, but a hole nonetheless. Alonso would fill that hole as one of the best offensive first basemen of this generation, going for 40 homers practically each and every season that he's healthy.

This wouldn't be a move based on need, per se, but more so a move to help the Padres chase the Dodgers. Alonso would be in a better situation with more depth protecting him and getting on base for him to drive in.

2. Seattle Mariners

If I had to choose the perfect landing spot for Alonso, it would be in Seattle. The Seattle Mariners have the best starting pitching in the entire league and it's not really close. They could be a serious World Series contender if they had a league-average lineup. Unfortunately, their lineup is so consistently bad that they couldn't make the postseason with five legit aces on their pitching staff.

Seattle began making moves to improve their lineup and they're going to look to free agency to continue doing so. They have a few hitters that can hit gap-to-gap with a solid batting average. But they're missing the true slugger that they could slot into the cleanup spot for 155 games a season. Signing Pete Alonso to a massive contract would give them exactly that.

Alonso is likely to get quite a hefty contract offer from the Mariners when the 2024 postseason wraps up. As many know, with a Scott Boras client like Alonso, money is often the driving factor. So, if the Mariners decide to prioritize Alonso and they're willing to offer him more than the Mets, he could end up playing in Seattle by next season.

1. Chicago Cubs

For most people that are following Alonso and his free agency decision, it's going to come down to the Mets, Mariners and the Chicago Cubs. There are quite a few members of the media who are favoring the Cubs over the other two teams.

Craig Counsell and company are ready to win and they're ready to win now. This feeling was only intensified after their disappointing finish to the 2024 season that saw them miss the postseason. Counsell isn't used to losing and it's not something that he would be okay with doing again next season.

The Cubs have been missing a big bat at first base for the last few seasons since they dealt Anthony Rizzo to the Yankees. But they haven't been able to land one in free agency or in trades. Alonso was the trade target of their dreams this season, but the Mets held onto him.

With Alonso set to enter free agency, the Cubs are going to practically offer him a blank check to try to get him to Wrigley Field in 2025. Money is what is going to drive Alonso in free agency and I'm not sure if anybody is going to be able to outbid the Cubs, especially if the Mets get caught up chasing Soto.