With the New York Mets in turmoil, the future of star first baseman Pete Alonso is uncertain. If the Mets were to put Alonso on the trade block, the Seattle Mariners would be poised to make a run at him.
At least Vegas thinks so, as the Mariners are the favorites (+300) to be Alonso's next team if not the Mets, via betonline.ag. The San Francisco Giants (+400) and San Diego Padres (+500) make up the top three while the Baltimore Orioles (+600) and Chicago Cubs (+700) round out the top five.
Alonso is set to be a free agent at year's end, sparking the trade rumors. If New York is unable to come to terms on a contract extension, it seems unlikely they would let Alonso walk for free. Even with his contract coming up, the first baseman is one of the best power hitters in the league.
Over his six years and 738 games with the Mets, Alonso has hit .249 with 204 home runs and 524 RBI. He has 40+ home runs in each of his last two seasons, each of which earned him an All-Star nomination. Alonso has been an All-Star three times in his career and was the 2019 Rookie of the Year.
The Mariners lead the AL West with their 30-26 record, up 3.5 games over the second-place Texas Rangers. But if Seattle is serious about making a deep playoff run, adding Alonso would be a major splash. There's no telling if he would re-sign with the Mariners, but it would make their World Series hopes much more realistic.
Spending his entire MLB career in the Mets' organization, perhaps Pete Alonso and New York find a way to make a deal work. But if they're forced to trade him, the Mariners top the list of teams that the first baseman could be hitting home runs for next.
Pete Alonso's fit with Mariners
While Seattle may lead the AL West, it has mainly been due to their pitching. The Mariners rank 27th in runs scored with 209. They aren't lacking in home runs with 61 – 10th in MLB. But they won't turn down plenty more if it means more runs are coming across the plate.
Through the first 54 games of the season, Alonso is hitting .231 with 12 home runs and 26 RBI. If he was on the Mariners, the first baseman would lead the team in home runs and rank just behind Cal Raleigh in RBI. If you were to add the 26 runs Alonso has driven in to Seattle's total, the Mariners jump all the way up to 16th in runs scored.
Ty France has served as the Mariners' predominant first baseman in 2024, playing 52 games at the position. He is hitting .241 with six home runs and 21 RBI. His numbers are much lower than what MLB teams expect of their first baseman. Bringing Alonso in would restore some power to the position. France wouldn't even have to necessarily leave the lineup, as he has experience playing second and third base.
The Mariners missed the playoffs in 2023 after earning a Wild Card spot in 2022. Now with a division lead, Seattle isn't looking to squander in. While the future would be in question, the Mariners would be a much scarier team in the team. If Pete Alonso truly becomes available via trade, watch for the Mariners to be one of the biggest teams involved.