Rating of the 6 most profitable places to land Pete Alonso

The offseason is quickly approaching and the final stretch of this postseason could be bittersweet for Mets fans as one of their favorite center fielders could soon be wearing a new jersey.

By the end of his rookie year, Pete Alonso had already established himself as an elite slugger. Alonso currently holds the rookie home run record, hitting 53 dingers en route to winning the 2019 Rookie of the Year award. To this day, Alonso has hit 40+ home runs three times in his short six-year tenure with the Mets, not counting his 16 in 2020, which would be equivalent to more than 40 home runs that year (13.00 AB/HR, 16 HR). in 2020 – 14.92 AB/h, in 2022 – 40 HR).

In 2024, Alonso slashed .240/.329/.459/.788 with 34 home runs. His 2024 slugging percentage and OPS are the lowest of his career. His home run total is the lowest of his career outside of 2020. Outside of 2020, the fact that Alonso has never hit fewer than 34 home runs in a season is very impressive.

Adding the Polar Bear postseason record to his long list of accomplishments. No postseason series the Mets have been in since 2022 has gone without Alonso hitting at least one home run. Sure, it’s only four episodes, but Alonso’s postseason record is still impressive. For his career, Alonso is 15-for-54 with five home runs in the postseason.

Home runs have always been Alonso’s strong suit. His batting average ebbed and flowed year after year, he never hit many doubles, and his on-base percentage was never amazing. While he is a good hitter, none of his other skills come close to overcoming his power potential. Take it from the guy who won two home run derbies. When Alonso hits the market, clubs will be betting on his powerful potential.

Who could use a first baseman with over 40 home run potential? Since this describes each command, we’ll just look at the ones most suitable for Polar Bear.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have been looking for a postseason berth for the past few years and haven’t even come close. They finished last in the NL Central this year with a 76-86 record. The Pirates have made two fairly aggressive moves lately: they extended Brian Reynolds and signed Aroldis Chapman to a one-year deal. As it turns out, doing the minimum and hoping for the best is not the best strategy.

In 2024, the first base spot was taken by the combination of Rowdy Tellez, Connor Joe and Billy Cook. By all accounts, Rowdy Tellez was DFAed four times short of his $250,000 bonus. The Pirates could do well by acquiring a first baseman and moving Connor Joe back to the outfield.

With Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and Bryan Reynolds in their lineup, the Pirates are at their best. They have a significant window that they can work with to figure things out, but that window may fly past them if they don’t start working on it quickly. The last time the Bucs made the postseason was 2015, when they lost to the Cubs in the Wild Card game.

It’s a little unlikely, but signing Pete Alonso this offseason will prove to Pirates fans that they are serious about contending. Polar Bear will do a lot to improve his run production and give the Pirates a shot at making the postseason.

Any discussion of teams in need of help at first base must include the Houston Astros. The Astros faced Jose Abreu, the 2020 AL MVP. After a year in which he hit .304, Abreu posted the worst year of his successful career, at least up to that point. But then the situation will continue to go down. In 2024, his second year with Houston, the Astros were forced to release him.

John Singleton, although improved at first base, was not liked by Houston. This glaring weakness will almost certainly not go unnoticed. Houston led the AL West with an 88–73 record and was quickly eliminated from the Wild Card round, losing to the Detroit Tigers.

The Astros will certainly have their hands full. Justin Verlander, Yusei Kikuchi and Alex Bregman, among others, will become free agents this offseason. Houston will certainly want to add a quality starter and a couple of good bats. They currently have two prospects who could soon take over at third base in Bregman’s place: Zach DeSenzo, who has already made his MLB debut, and Bryce Matthews. They don’t have a notable prospect at first base yet.

Spending on a quality first baseman just makes sense. With the Astros’ dynasty now fading, it’s almost a guarantee that they’ll try to make a splash.

No one can say the Giants didn’t try. They were interested in Aaron Judge, signed Jorge Soler (before he was traded), Jung Hoo Lee and Blake Snell (who will likely decline). So far nothing has worked out. As a result, grandmaster Farhan Zaidi was fired. One can only assume that with a change in leadership there will be a change in strategy. Perhaps we’ll see a more aggressive plan for the offseason.

The Giants’ first base position was largely split between LaMonte Wade Jr. and Wilmer Flores. Flores, who had a very strong 2023, fell off in 2024. As for Wade, while his home run totals and batting average are stagnant, his on-base percentage over the last two years has been remarkable.

Either way, adding a new first baseman won’t cause much of a roster shakeup. Wade can play the outfield and Flores can play DH or somewhere else in the infield (Flores has a player option this season).

The Giants were looking for a postseason berth but have been empty the last two years. To their credit, they still made it into the NLDS in 2021. Both the offense and pitching have been mediocre this season. Offensively, the Giants lacked both power and the ability to get on base. With Lee returning from injury next year, the only depth the Giants will likely be missing is at the heart of the team. The Giants’ top three hitters in 2024 were Matt Chapman (27 HR), Heliot Ramos (22 HR) and Michael Conforto (20 HR).

No Giant hitter hit 30 home runs this season, and the three mentioned above were the only players to hit 20 or more runs, but most hitters saw fairly little at-bats. Chapman and Ramos were the only ones to top 438 at-bats in 2024.

As we saw with their interest in Judge and Soler, the Giants are looking for a slugger to bolster their weak lineup. Pete Alonso is more than suitable as a power threat. But their pursuit of Alonso (if they decide to pursue him) will depend on how aggressive their approach is and the looming decision to pursue Juan Soto.

The Seattle Mariners finished the season tied with the Braves and have the lowest team ERA in 2024. Despite excellent pitching, the Mariners finished one game without a Wild Card. Their most glaring problem was their offensive production, which had been abysmal all year. As a team, the Mariners posted the second-lowest batting average in 2024 at .224, just a few clicks higher than the .221 posted by the worst team in MLB history, the Chicago White Sox.

At the trade deadline, the Mariners acquired Justin Turner and Randy Arozarena to make a final push, but it wasn’t enough. Their offense remained stagnant and effectively limited any chances of making the postseason.

In July, first baseman Ty France unexpectedly cleared the way for Tyler Locklear (the Mariners’ No. 6 prospect). With plenty of young talent, including Locklear, the Mariners will have more than enough pieces to make some trades and bolster their meager offense. But while there are some great trade targets this offseason, there is no first base option ranked higher than Pete Alonso.

Alonso would fit seamlessly into the Mariners lineup behind Julio Rodriguez, giving them strength where they need it most. The Mariners’ priorities are clear given their impressive pitching and weak offense. Seattle needs to clean up its act around Rodriguez if they’re going to compete anywhere in the near future.

Another year has passed in which the San Diego Padres have produced little to no results. Since 2020, the Monks have made three postseason appearances (missing the postseason every year from 2007 until now), reaching the 2022 NLCS before losing to the Phillies. This season they made it to the NLDS, where they were defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite being a great team, they seemed to be missing an important element that could give them the push they needed.

The Dodgers and Padres went the distance in this NLDS; 3-2 Dodgers. The two Dodger victories came in fairly close games, both by two runs. One good bat could potentially turn this series on its head.

In 2024, the first base position was shared by Luis Arraez and Jake Cronenworth. The Padres have some flexibility as both Arraez and Cronenworth can play DH or play second base. There is currently no main district heating system in San Diego. This opening gives them some options if they decide to move the infield, especially if Ha-Sung Kim becomes a free agent (mutual option).

Assuming the Padres acquire Alonso, they would boast a lineup that includes Arraez, Tatis, Merrill, Alonso and Machado (and Bogaerts, if he can return to his Red Sox uniform). If they were to acquire Alonso, there wouldn’t be much doubt that they would have a World Series-worthy roster. As with the other teams mentioned, this will depend on how aggressive management is.

There is no doubt that the New York Mets, like their fans, love the polar bear. Alonso himself also expressed his love for them. During his six years in a Mets jersey, Alonso became a Mets icon. Steve Cohen, owner of the Mets and Point72 Asset Management, is the richest MLB team owner. On paper, it seems like a Mets-Alonso reunion is almost a sure thing. But there is a caveat.

Alonso is a client of Scott Boras. In Boras’s world, money is everything. But the worry isn’t that Cohen can’t afford Alonso, it’s the upcoming pursuit of Juan Soto. The bid for Soto will be very competitive. According to Forbes’ Peter Chavaga, MLB executives have estimated that Juan Soto will receive a contract worth around $500 million, but bidding may well deviate from that amount as one executive is estimating the contract at $655 million.

If the Mets fail in their Juan Soto expedition, Pete Alonso is almost guaranteed to be a Met again. It’s unlikely the Mets will enter next season without an elite slugger. If the Mets win Soto, the Alonso sweepstakes will get very interesting. Pursuing Alonso still makes sense, but Soto’s contract could evaporate even the healthiest of budgets, including Cohen’s. Either way, Alonso won’t come cheap. If Cohen wants to bolster the pitching staff after signing Soto (if they can sign Soto), signing Alonso will become less likely.

The Mets, if they sign Soto, would likely explore cheaper contracts for players like Christian Walker or perhaps scour the trade market. However, the Mets are the favorites to resign Alonso.

Honorable Mention: New York Yankees if they part ways with Anthony Rizzo