The New York Mets whiffed on the postseason this year, which seemingly turned up the heat on their free agency aggressiveness this winter. As a result, the Mets have already signed Devin Williams away from the New York Yankees.
All eyes have turned to Pete Alonso. The slugger is projected to sign a massive $182 million deal, per Jim Bowden of The Athletic. At this price, there aren’t many teams that could afford him.
Still, Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball recently predicted Alonso would betray New York and sign a huge deal with the rival Philadelphia Phillies this winter.
“The Phillies would then need to replace a 40-HR bat in their lineup, and there is no more consistent source of power on the market than Pete Alonso. Schwarber and Alonso are really 1A and 1B on this market in terms of power and run production, which makes either a great fit for the Phillies, or the Mets, for that matter,” Finkelstein wrote. “There’s a weird multiverse that could play out where Schwarber signs with the Mets, then Alonso turns around and signs with Philly, and both fan bases feel a little gross inside.”
The Phillies need to re-sign or replace Kyle Schwarber this winter. If they lose Schwarber, adding Alonso to replace him would be the perfect move.
The Phillies can’t afford to take steps backward heading into next season. They’ve been disappointing over the last few years in terms of postseason success. If they lose Schwarber and don’t replace him, their struggles will likely only get worse. It seems like they’ll go after Schwarber, but if they miss out on him, Alonso is the perfect backup plan.
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