After their stunning second half collapse, the New York Mets won't be competing in the postseason. The end of first baseman Pete Alonso's time with the franchise may have come an end as well.
Following the end of the regular season, Alonso announced that he is opting out of his contract and will enter free agency. If his Mets tenure truly is over, he'll have ended his time in Queens hitting .253 with 264 home runs and 712 RBIs. The first baseman was named an All-Star five times, including his last four seasons in New York.
On the open market, Alonso should draw widespread interest. Playing all 162 games for a second straight year, he hit .272 with 38 home runs and 126 RBIs. The batting average was a new career-high, and his power will always be Alonso's calling card.
The Mets will likely attempt to retain Alonso. He has played his whole career there thus far. Plus, New York didn't sign Juan Soto to a $765 million contract to not surround him with talent.
With Steven Cohen as owner, it doesn't seem like money will be an issue. However, if Alonso decides it's finally time to depart from the Mets, these three teams make the most sense as free agency landing spots.
Pete Alonso joins Texas Rangers
With their 81-81 record, the Texas Rangers were six games out of the final American League Wild Card spot. However, you could hardly blame their pitching staff. Texas ended the year with the best ERA in all of baseball at 3.47.
On the flip side though, the Rangers ranked 22nd in runs scored with 684. Many of their stars such as Marcus Semien and Corey Seager ended up on the injured list. But bottom line, Texas needs more firepower in their lineup to break into the postseason.
At first base specifically, the Rangers turned to Jake Burger. He hit .250 with 29 home runs and 76 RBIs the year prior with the Miami Marlins. But in his Texas debut, Burger hit .236 with 16 home runs and 53 RBIs over 103 games.
Adding Alonso to the mix gives the Rangers a surefire option at the cold corner. If Texas is serious about competing, paying up for a player for the first baseman's stature could be necessary.
Arizona Diamondbacks take big swing on Alonso
The Arizona Diamondbacks made the surprise signing of the 2024 offseason, agreeing to terms on a $210 million contract with star pitcher Corbin Burnes. Perhaps that'll take them out of the running for Alonso, especially with Burnes recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Alongside their ace, Arizona also saw players such as Justin Martinez, AJ Puk and Lourdes Gurriel go down to injury. They traded away players such as Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suarez and Merrill Kelly at the deadline. But despite all of their subtractions, the Diamondbacks finished the year just three games out of the final National League Wild Card spot with their 80-82 record.
The franchise will need to make a crucial decision facing so many injuries. But they know that competing in the NL West is always going to be a difficult challenge. If they want to battle with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, they'll need another bat.
Alonso would become Naylor's full-time replacement at first and the cornerstone of Arizona's lineup. The only question is if the Diamondbacks are willing to spend.
New York Yankees get revenge
After a year with the New York Yankees, Soto decided to take Cohen's offer and switch to the Mets. But now a free agency period later, the latter franchise can take revenge.
Paul Goldschmidt had a decent debut in New York, hitting .274 with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs over 145 games. But he is set to be a free agent after the season. And if he does return, he'll be entering his age-38 campaign. It's fair to wonder how much gas he has left in the tank.
Moreso, the Yankees' first base situation has been a game of musical chairs in recent history. Five different players played the position over the last two seasons. Signing Alonso means there are now more questions or concerns. Barring injury, he will be locked in at first base.
A lineup with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Alonso in the middle of it would strike fear across all of MLB. It would also deal a brutal gut punch to their cross-town rivals. But ultimately, the Yankees are focused on winning championships. Signing Alonso would get them closer to that goal.
