Is Kyle Schwarber Or Pete Alonso A Better Fit For Red Sox?

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso and Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber have been dominating the headlines in Red Sox Nation ahead of the upcoming MLB free agency period.

Which All-Star slugger would be a better fit for the Boston Red Sox’s 2026 roster, however?

While Schwarber is nearly two years older than Alonso and is primarily a designated hitter (the latter has played first base in all but three games the last two seasons), Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic opined on Thursday that the Phillies star would make more sense for Boston.

“In my opinion, even though Schwarber is a lefty, he’s a better fit for the Red Sox roster with his leadership, a strong power bat and shorter projected deal. Schwarber loved his two months in Boston after he was traded here from the Nationals at the deadline in 2021,” the insider wrote in her Red Sox mailbag. “At 32 and because of his lack of positional flexibility, Schwarber is expected to sign a smaller deal than Alonso, around four or five years and $130-150 million.

McCaffrey added that if the Red Sox were to do some other financial maneuvering, they could “still sign Schwarber for about the same it would cost to sign Alonso.”

Alonso finished the 2025 season with 38 home runs, 126 RBIs and a career-high .272 batting average.

Schwarber led the National League with 56 home runs and 132 RBIs during the 2025 campaign, while posting a .240/.365/.563 slash line.

The World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays will end either on Friday or Saturday and MLB free agency will begin five days later.