With the 2024 season behind us and the Hot Stove ready to burn, we're taking a closer look at some of the most prominent players in free agency.

Name: Pete Alonso
Position: First baseman
Team: New York Mets
Age (as of Opening Day 2025): 30
2024 stats: .240/.329/.459, 34 HR, 88 RBI, 91 R, 123 OPS+

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Since the day he broke camp with the Mets as a rookie in 2019, Alonso has been a fan favorite in New York.

A hulking 6-foot-3, 245-pound slugger with power few possess in the Majors, Alonso has set the rookie home run record (53), earned NL Rookie of the Year honors, made four All-Star teams, belted 226 home runs and posted at least 4.0 bWAR in three of his five full seasons.

Yet as Alonso tests the free-agent market for the first time, it appears the 29-year-old is Plan B for the Mets.

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That¡¯s because Juan Soto is believed to be the apple of the Mets¡¯ eye, and the addition of Soto and the enormous contract he is likely to receive could mean the end of Alonso¡¯s time in Queens.

Alonso didn¡¯t post his typical numbers in his contract season, hitting 34 home runs with 88 RBIs ¨C his fewest in both categories in a 162-game season ¨C while striking out 172 times, the most since his rookie year (183).

The first baseman did come up big in the postseason, hitting four homers with 10 RBIs and a .999 OPS in 13 games. His three-run homer against Devin Williams in the ninth inning of the decisive NL Wild Card Series Game 3 against the Brewers helped the Mets advance to the next round, sparking a run all the way to Game 6 of the NLCS.

Alonso is set to cash in this winter, though it remains to be seen whether he will crack the $200 million mark that some have predicted. First basemen have become baseball¡¯s answer to running backs in the NFL; a position many clubs believe can be filled without breaking the bank.

Will Alonso remain in a Mets uniform? Could he move across town? Or across the country? Let¡¯s take a look at how Alonso¡¯s offseason might play out:

POTENTIAL SUITORS

METS

A reunion between Alonso and the Mets is certainly in play, though it might depend on Soto¡¯s free-agent destination. Even if the Mets are unable to pry Soto away from the Yankees, president of baseball operations David Stearns could opt to move Mark Vientos across the diamond to first base and sign a third baseman ¨C Alex Bregman, perhaps? ¨C if he believes that makes the Mets better. Alonso could wind up staying with the only franchise for which he¡¯s played, but there are a lot of moving pieces to settle before that happens.

YANKEES

Like the Mets, the Yankees¡¯ interest in Alonso will likely hinge upon their ability to bring Soto back into the fold. New York declined its option on Anthony Rizzo for 2025, leaving Oswaldo Cabrera and DJ LeMahieu as the current internal first-base options. It would be surprising if the Yankees didn¡¯t add a first baseman this winter, but if they¡¯re able to re-sign Soto ¨C on a deal that is expected to exceed $500 million ¨C it seems unlikely that they would spend what it takes to land Alonso. Should Soto sign elsewhere, however, Alonso could be an appealing power option to stack in the middle of the lineup with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, particularly since there won¡¯t be any questions about his ability to handle New York¡¯s bright lights.

GIANTS

San Francisco¡¯s first basemen ¨C led by LaMonte Wade Jr. and Wilmer Flores ¨C ranked 10th in the NL with a .699 OPS and tied for 13th with 14 home runs, putting the position among the priorities this winter for new president of baseball operations Buster Posey. The Giants¡¯ No. 1 prospect is first baseman Bryce Eldridge, but he just turned 20 in October and is unlikely to be ready to take over the position in the Majors in 2025. San Francisco has taken its shot at power hitters, including Judge and Shohei Ohtani, so perhaps Alonso could be the big bat the Giants have been looking for.

MARINERS

Seattle tied for eighth in the AL in OPS (.727) at first base, while its 71 RBIs from the position ranked 11th. Starter Ty France was designated for assignment and ultimately traded in late July, leaving the position to Luke Raley, Justin Turner and Tyler Locklear, the club¡¯s No. 6 prospect. The Mariners will be looking to add offense this winter, and unless they¡¯re ready to turn the reins over to Locklear, Alonso could be a prime option for Seattle.

ASTROS

The Jose Abreu era was a complete washout, ending with Houston¡¯s release of the veteran last June less than halfway into his three-year, $58.5 million contract. The potential return of Bregman could be a major factor in the Astros¡¯ interest in Alonso, who would be a huge upgrade at a position that produced a .651 OPS and 18 home runs for Houston in 2024.

BLUE JAYS

The Blue Jays, you say? Toronto¡¯s .900 OPS and .309 batting average at first base last year led the Majors thanks to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., so why on earth would the Jays want or need Alonso? Despite the production from Guerrero, Toronto ranked 23rd in the Majors in runs scored (671), so expect the Blue Jays to look for a bat to upgrade their offense. Guerrero ¨C who will be a free agent at the end of next season ¨C could share first base and DH at-bats with Alonso, or even play some third base.

NATIONALS

Washington lacked offense at first base in 2024, ranking 11th in the NL with a .686 OPS and tied for 13th with 14 home runs. Juan Yepez currently tops the depth chart at the position, but Alonso would give the Nationals a veteran bat to complement their young core. Washington knows the type of damage Alonso can do, especially at Nationals Park, where the slugger has 15 homers and a .304/.391/.619 slash line (1.009 OPS) in 48 career games.

EXECUTIVE TAKE

¡°Alonso has been a major impact bat since entering the league six years ago, and he showed that even further in the postseason despite having a down year during the regular season. Declining a $158 million extension last summer and then having a down year is certainly difficult, but Alonso should still be guaranteed a contract similar to Freddie Freeman, likely even better given that he hasn¡¯t turned 30 yet. Alonso boasts a career 134 OPS+ and will be a key part of any lineup.

¡°Teams looking to acquire Alonso understand that he provides no real defensive value and should certainly take pause given some of his struggles at the plate this year, though he still hit over 30 home runs. Ultimately, Alonso should receive an offer higher than last summer and will be evaluated as the power bat he is.¡±

BUYER BEWARE

Alonso had the highest ground-ball rate of his career (42%) in 2024, while his strikeout percentage (24.8) was his highest since 2020, marking the second straight season in which that number has risen. Alonso¡¯s defense has been consistently poor throughout his career, but his -9 outs above average last season was his worst in six big league seasons.

FOR COMP'S SAKE

Last decade, first basemen were landing some of the biggest deals in the game, as Miguel Cabrera (eight years, $248 million), Albert Pujols (10 years, $240 million), Joey Votto (10 years, $225 million) and Prince Fielder (nine years, $214 million) all landed a contract worth more than $200 million between 2012-16. That hasn¡¯t been the trend in the 2020s, as Matt Olson (eight years, $168 million) and Freeman (six years, $162 million) have led the way at the position. Alonso is not as good defensively as those two, but his power bat should land him roughly in the same vicinity contract-wise as Olson and Freeman.