MLB Rumors: Red Sox Among Best Fits For All-Star Slugger
The Boston Red Sox are among the best fits for New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports.
The two-time Home Run Derby champion said after the regular season ended he will opt out of his contract and hit the open market.
When he does, Boston will be among a trio of teams expected to contend for Alonso’s services.
“Like (Alex) Bregman, it took Alonso until mid-February to land a deal, re-signing with the Mets for two years and $54 million,” Feinsand reports. “Alonso has said he plans to opt out of the final year and $24 million of the deal to give free agency another try, and with 38 home runs, 126 RBIs and an .871 OPS in 162 games this season — not to mention the absence of a qualifying offer — he should draw more interest than he did a year ago.
“Potential fits: Giants, Mets, Red Sox,” Feinsand adds. Alonso is Feinsand’s No. 6 potential free agent.
Market Expanding
Last week, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported a pair of American League rivals also will be in the mix for Alonso.
“What am I hearing about the Astros? Look, I hear they like Pete Alonso,” Heyman said in a live chat for Bleacher Report. “For whatever reason they do like Pete Alonso. … That’s one thing I have heard with the Houston Astros.”
But wait, there’s more.
“I think the Yankees also, at least some people with the Yankees do like Alonso,” Heyman reported. “They have that first base open. Would they go for another big right-handed bat? I’m not positive on that one. I know there’s some light there for Alonso.”
The King Of Queens
A five-time All-Star, Alonso was a free agent last winter and didn’t find a multi-year, nine-figure contract to his liking so he returned to the Mets, who gave him a two-year, $54 million deal with an opt-out clause.
The 30-year-old Alonso hit 38 home runs this season, which was eighth-best in the majors, and drove in 126 runs, second only to Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber.
Alonso, a home-grown Mets star, spent seven seasons in Queens. This year he became the franchise’s all-time home run leader, surpassing eight-time All-Star Darryl Strawberry.
The Red Sox spent much of the 2025 campaign trying to find a fit at first base after watching Triston Casas go down with a season-ending knee injury.
In the Red Sox’s end-of-season press conference, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow didn’t want to commit to Casas as the team’s first baseman for 2026.