Should the Red Sox pursue free agent slugger Pete Alonso?

Welcome to the 2025-26 version of Smash or Pass, during which we look at potential free agent and commerce targets to find out whether or not the Pink Sox ought to pursue them and what it could take to land them. After having a look at an intriguing young arm earlier this week, we now search for a center of the order bat.

Who’s he and the place does he come from?

He’s 30-year-old Peter Morgan Alonso, and he grew up in Tampa, Florida because the descendant of refugees who fled to america throughout the Spanish Civil Struggle. Provided that Luis Tiant was frequently and famously linked to The Previous Man And The Sea, Alonso can be the second Pink Sox participant to be tangentially associated to one among Hemingway’s 4 main novels. Now we simply want a second baseman who survived the retreat at Caporetto and a quantity two starter who continuously will get in drunken bar fights in Pamplona to finish the set.

Alonso has spent his complete profession with the New York Mets. He entered free company for the primary time final offseason, returned to the Mets on a 2-year deal price $54 million, and opted out after the primary yr to check free company once more.

What place does he play?

This can be a significantly pertinent query for this train. Alonso is a primary baseman, and he likes being a primary baseman, even supposing he’s not significantly good at it:

However the Pink Sox have already got a primary baseman (not less than, in concept). And whereas Triston Casas has additionally not but confirmed to be significantly good at it, he’s considerably youthful than Alonso, got here up with an honest defensive fame, and has the potential to maintain getting higher whereas Alonso is sort of actually solely going to worsen. So does this damage the probabilities of the Sox signing the Polar Bear?

Eh, I wouldn’t fear about it. Alonso’s agent, Scott Boras, has already stated that Alonso can be prepared to spend “some” time at DH subsequent yr. This sounds so much to me just like the JD Martinez scenario, during which a defensively restricted free agent slugger who was reluctant to maneuver to DH ultimately got here round with the assistance of some huge cash. And, given Casas’s well being points, Alonso may find yourself taking part in a variety of first anyway; you can even argue that the Sox can be higher off with Casas DHing to guard his physique with Alonso at first.

Effectively he’s not good at first base! However that’s not why the Pink Sox can be paying him.

As you might be little doubt already conscious, Alonso is among the sport’s best possible energy hitters. Since his debut in 2019, he has hit 264 residence runs. That’s the third-most homers in all of baseball throughout that span, behind solely Aaron Decide and Kyle Shwarber, each of whom are two years older than Alonso. And whereas he’s removed from the all-around offensive drive that Decide is, he’s not just a few three true outcomes plodder, both, as evidenced by his .253/.341/.516 profession slash line and the truth that he led the league in doubles final yr. In actual fact, his 22.8% strikeout charge final yr was higher than that of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Trevor Story, Kristian Campbell, Romy Gonzalez, Jarren Duran, Carlos Narvaez, Rob Refsnyder, and Wilyer Abreu. The dude can hit.

Oh, and the opposite factor Alonso is basically good at? Staying wholesome. He has not missed a single common season sport over the previous two seasons and has solely been on the IL 3 times in his profession, by no means for greater than 10 days at a time.

Present me a cool spotlight.

He’s the Residence Run Derby king for a motive:

The overall consensus is that Alonso will find yourself with a four-to-five yr deal price between $105-125 million.

Why would he be match for the Pink Sox?

It’s by no means a foul concept so as to add one of many sport’s greatest energy hitters to your staff. However it’s a terrific concept for this explicit Pink Sox staff.

The bottom quantity of homers Alonso has ever hit in a full season was 34. It’s been 5 years because the Pink Sox had a participant who hit as many as 34 homers in a single season, and 7 years since they’ve had a participant do it from the suitable aspect of the plate. As Alex Speier wrote in this wonderfully-detailed analysis from final yr, a pulled fly ball to left area at Fenway Park is kind of actually the best kind of batted ball in the complete sport. And the Pink Sox, as at present constructed, are woefully unable to benefit from this. Alonso is the excellent bat to slip into the center of the lineup.

Furthermore, Alonso comes throughout as the kind of man who would thrive in Boston. He’s personable, humorous, and, as evidenced by his residence run derby performances, by no means uncomfortable within the highlight. And hey, his spouse grew up within the Boston space and the 2 met whereas he was taking part in within the Cape League. One among today the entire “large free agent is married to somebody with ties to the Boston space” factor goes to work!

Why would he not be match for the Pink Sox?

There aren’t any baseball the explanation why he wouldn’t be match. In the event you’re the kind of one who analyzes baseball as if groups get trophies for having the bottom payroll-to-WAR ratio, you then’re most likely not that enthusiastic about giving $120 million to a soon-to-be 31-year-old first baseman, particularly for those who suppose Alonso would preclude the Sox from pursuing different large ticket free brokers.

However, with respect as to whether the Sox can afford Alonso and one other large prize, let’s go over a number of issues:

Pete Alonso is the right addition to the 2026 Pink Sox lineup and he solely prices cash, of which the Pink Sox have lots. That is a straightforward smash for me. Signal Alonso, re-sign Alex Bregman (or splurge on Bo Bichette to play third for those who’re nervous about age), commerce for a quantity two starter and we’ll see you in Fort Myers. Operating a baseball staff is straightforward!