Pete Alonso was one of the best first basemen in baseball and will hit the open market this winter. The MLB will certainly heat up for a player of his caliber, with many teams looking to give Alonso a good contract. Sure, the New York Mets could be one of them, but there’s no commitment to stay in Queens.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post compiled a list of possible destinations for Alonso if he were to leave the Mets. Four teams were named, two of which are from the American League and two others that remain in the National League.
“I might not bet against the Cubs needing a hitter,” Heyman said. “The Astros, who have Alonso’s teammate Kyle Tucker from Tampa Plant High, would also be a fit. The Mariners, too. He looks pretty good in Denver, too.”
Denver would be home to the Colorado Rockies, a place where Alonso played quite well on Thursday. Five at-bats resulted in three hits, two of which were home runs, and three RBIs. Power hitters always succeed when they play in the Mile High City, but rarely do they agree to come home during free agency.
By moving to Houston, Alonso would join the most consistent team in MLB in recent seasons. The Astros just want to reach the ALCS, even without a really strong hitter at first base. Jose Abreu was supposed to be that man, but Houston decided to move on from him.
And then there’s Chicago and Seattle, two clubs that need some power. The Mariners have one of the worst offenses in baseball, despite currently sitting atop the AL West and not having many long-term solutions at the moment. Some stars are currently home on the North Side, but their team OPS is well below league average.
Each of them would receive an immediate boost in power by including Alonso in the starting lineup.
Alonso hasn’t exactly had the best season by his own standards. His OPS is currently below .800 and would be a career rookie for him. Alonso now has 25 home runs and 63 RBIs, significantly fewer than in previous years – but he’s still nearly 40 games away from reaching those numbers.
But as Heyman points out, there are still many teams lining up to sign the former Florida Gators Product – its power is too great to deny.
