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Ranking Mets 1B Pete Alonso's Top 8 Landing Spots Amid Latest MLB Rumors
Free agency didn't go as Pete Alonso hoped last winter, but it's a whole new offseason now. And things are looking up already for the long-time New York Met.
He's coming off a much better season, as he upped his OPS by 83 points from 2024 to 2025 and finished with 38 home runs, 41 doubles and 126 runs batted in. He was also ineligible for the qualifying offer, which didn't do his market any favors last winter.
What's more, the free-agent market is already warm a week out from the MLB winter meetings. Of particular relevance to Alonso is that Josh Naylor, a fellow first baseman, got almost exactly what MLB Trade Rumors projected him for in scoring a five-year, $92.5 million deal with the Seattle Mariners.
The publication projected the 30-year-old for four years and $110 million, a deal basically twice as long and twice as rich as the one he opted out of in November. There isn't a big leap from there to the five-year, $145 million contract B/R's Tim Kelly tagged him for.
Let's split the difference and go with a five-year, $125 million projection for Alonso, which leaves only one thing left to do: Round up his best landing spots, starting with some honorable mentions and then getting down to his top eight.
Note: Roster and WAR projections are according to FanGraphs.
Honorable Mentions
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Colorado Rockies
The Rockies project to get -0.2 WAR from the cold corner in 2026, so they would seem to have a good excuse for one of their occasional nine-figure free-agent deals. Hopefully, though, Paul DePodesta's time away from baseball won't make him blind to the reality that this team needs a lot more than one slugger.
New York Yankees
Scandalous, right? Sure is, but also unrealistic. The Yankees have mostly been linked to Cody Bellinger and pitching, and Hal Steinbrenner just can't seem to stop reminding everyone he's no fan of high payrolls.
Philadelphia Phillies
This is a fun idea, but it'll only really come into play if the Phillies fall short in their pursuit to retain Kyle Schwarber. And even if they do, Alonso and Bryce Harper can't both play first base, and one of them might not want to fill Schwarber's shoes in the designated hitter spot.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants reportedly weighed a run at Alonso last winter, but that was before they scored Rafael Devers in a trade with the Boston Red Sox this June. Between him and top prospect Bryce Eldridge, they should have first base and DH covered.
Texas Rangers
The Rangers struggled to get enough offense in 2025, and Jake Burger isn't the kind of guy who should keep anyone from being interested in Alonso. Their payroll is coming down, though, and pitching might be Chris Young's top priority after swapping Marcus Semien for Brandon Nimmo.
8. San Diego Padres
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Projected 1B for 2026: Gavin Sheets
Projected 1B WAR for 2026: 1.3
Luis Arraez held down first base for the Padres this year, and he led the National League in hits even as he hit "only" .292.
At the same time, though, Arraez was complicit in a broader offensive problem in San Diego. He contributed only eight home runs to the Padres' total of 152, which ranked third from the bottom of MLB and last among this year's playoff teams.
Alonso therefore represents the best offensive upgrade the Padres can make this winter. He plays first base and hitting the ball over the fence is kind of his whole thing. He's clubbed 264 home runs since 2019, the third-most of any hitter after Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber.
Yet the catch with this idea is twofold: San Diego needs pitching a lot more than hitting, and it's no secret the club is in a difficult spot financially. To the latter end, its projected 2026 payroll is already near what it spent in 2025.
7. Arizona Diamondbacks
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Projected 1B for 2026: Pavin Smith
Projected 1B WAR for 2026: 1.0
The Diamondbacks have been a well-rounded offensive team in each of the last two seasons, mixing a high batting average with home run power and speed on the basepaths.
They sure missed Christian Walker at first base this year, though. The Snakes' first sackers managed only a .738 OPS and 16 home runs, the latter of which ranked in the bottom third among all teams.
As with the Padres, Alonso is as good of an on-paper fit as the Diamondbacks could hope for. And with a $43 million gap between what they spent in 2025 and project to spend in 2026, the D-backs are in better shape financially than their NL West rivals.
Then again, carrying a lower payroll in 2026 seems to be the idea for managing partner Ken Kendrick. The D-backs otherwise have something in common with the Padres in that they need arms more than they need bats.
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6. Cincinnati Reds
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Projected 1B for 2026: Spencer Steer
Projected 1B WAR for 2026: 1.5
The Reds? Signing a player for upwards of nine figures?
It doesn't happen all that often...or ever, more accurately. They have never gone above $64 million for a free agent, and the two times they hit that mark yielded mixed results on Mike Moustakas and Nick Castellanos.
And yet, the Reds are aiming to have a 2026 payroll similar to the one they had in 2025, in which case they have roughly $20 million to work with. There isn't a big leap from there to what Alonso could command annually, and Cincinnati should definitely want him after it slugged just .391 as a team this year.
Still, we're well aware we're doing some wish-casting with the financials. And it would genuinely be too bad if the Reds just don't want to pay for Alonso. If it meant hitting at Great American Ball Park for a playoff team managed by Terry Francona, you'd have to think he'd listen if they came calling.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
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Projected 1B for 2026: Spencer Horwitz
Projected 1B WAR for 2026: 1.8
Death, taxes and the Pirates staying away from free agency. This is normally the natural order of things, as the Bucs have never spent more than $39 million on a free agent.
Ah, but there just might be a change in the winds. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, Pittsburgh could be willing to add as much as $40 million to its payroll this winter. If so, that's more than enough for Alonso's likely average annual value.
After hitting an MLB-low (by far) 117 home runs in 2025, the Pirates need his power in the worst way. And from his perspective, now might be the best time to jump aboard this ship. Paul Skenes is the best pitcher in the National League, and it may not be long before No. 1 prospect Konnor Griffin is at shortstop.
When it comes to the Pirates actually spending money, though, we'll believe it when we see it. And even if Alonso was intrigued by the money and what the Bucs are building, he should beware PNC Park is the worst stadium for sluggers in all of MLB.
4. Miami Marlins
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Projected 1B for 2026: Graham Pauley
Projected 1B WAR for 2026: 0.6
Along with the Pirates, the Marlins are reportedly the other club that may be looking to move beyond its typically frugal ways this winter.
Unlike the Pirates, the Marlins actually have played in the high end of the free-agent market before. They once went as high as $106 million for José Reyes, and it was less than a decade ago that they dropped $80 million on Wei-Yin Chen.
Alonso is worthy of their next big splash precisely because they need his splashy power after hitting only 154 home runs this season. And if they do pursue him, it might only help that he's a Florida native who is surely aware it's one of three MLB states that does not tax income.
Yet even if the Marlins are willing to spend more this winter, it's still not clear how much more they want to add to their payroll. There's also the fact that LoanDepot Park is another home run graveyard, and that contention runs tend to be few and far between in Miami.
3. Los Angeles Angels
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Projected 1B for 2026: Nolan Schanuel
Projected 1B WAR for 2026: 2.2
Though the Angels just traded 36-homer slugger Taylor Ward, rebuilding is never the goal under quixotic owner Arte Moreno. So, he might as well spend, right?
Easy for us to say, but it's also easy enough to see the Angels doing so this winter. Putting money into payroll is their only remotely viable path forward, and they have a $40 million gap between this year's payroll and their projected 2026 payroll—and that's with some sort of buyout of Anthony Rendon still to come.
Alonso would be a significant upgrade over Schanuel, who's a rare threat to post an on-base percentage higher than his slugging percentage. And he'd probably like hitting at Angel Stadium, which is quietly one of the better parks for home run hitters.
Yet whereas the Angels at least considered making a run at Alonso last winter, there hasn't been any buzz about a repeat effort this year. And even if they were to make him a competitive offer, he may be a bit too intent on winning to join up with the franchise that holds MLB's longest playoff drought.
2. New York Mets
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Projected 1B for 2026: Mark Vientos
Projected 1B WAR for 2026: 2.3
The Mets' official position on Alonso, at least per the words of president of baseball operations David Stearns, is that the team would "love" to have him back.
As well they should. Alonso has only ever known the Mets organization since the club drafted him in the second round in 2016. And even if the purported goal of this winter is to improve run prevention, the Nimmo-for-Semien trade did that while simultaneously worsening the depth of the lineup.
Further, allowing Alonso to walk and filling his shoes at first base with Vientos is not as appealing as it was last winter. Vientos didn't build on his 2024 breakout in 2025, dropping his OPS by 135 points and his home run count by 10.
According to Pat Ragazzo of SI.com, however, the Mets are prepared to let Alonso walk if he doesn't accept a team-friendly deal. That tracks with the approach they took last winter, with the obvious difference this time being that the market is much less likely to force him to acquiesce.
1. Boston Red Sox
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Projected 1B for 2026: Triston Casas
Projected 1B WAR for 2026: 1.9
With their trade for Sonny Gray having fortified the starting rotation behind Garrett Crochet, the signs seem pointed toward the Red Sox adding a big bat next.
A reunion with Alex Bregman is still in play, and Kyle Schwarber is another Boston fan favorite who could make a comeback. There are any number of ways the Red Sox could play these pursuits, but Jon Morosi of MLB Network pitched the plan as such: Bregman is Plan A, and an "all-out pursuit" of Alonso is Plan B.
As much as the Red Sox—who are reportedly willing to exceed the luxury tax, per Sean McAdam of MassLive—should want Bregman back, Alonso is the guy their lineup really needs. Its best right-handed hitter as of now is Trevor Story, who had a .308 OBP and a modest .741 OPS this year.
And can you imagine Alonso at Fenway Park? Mercy. Even if he isn't the type of dead-pull hitter who could take full advantage of the Green Monster, it wouldn't exactly hurt him either.
These things alone make the Red Sox a better bet to back up a Brinks truck for Alonso than the Mets are, and then there's the Casas angle in all this. He's too talented to give up on, but a permanent shift to DH could only help keep him healthy after back-to-back injury-marred seasons.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
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