On Wednesday, Red Sox Nation had their pitchforks out for Fenway Sports Group, as news broke that former Mets slugger Pete Alonso had agreed to terms with the Baltimore Orioles on a five-year deal worth $155 million, choosing to play for Boston’s little brother in the AL East rather than sign with the Red Sox.
After losing out on the services of one-time Red Sox slugger Kyle Schwarber to the Phillies just one day prior, the news of Alonso’s agreement with Baltimore became that much more painful. And when The Boston Globe’s Tim Healy reported that the Red Sox were not even close on years or money with their offer to the 31-year-old, the anger from Sox fans had almost morphed into apathy, as it became clear that this Boston front office had no intentions of changing from the way they’ve operated since winning the World Series in 2018.
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To add salt to the open wound, a veteran Boston sports radio producer shared a rumor on his X account on Thursday that puts into focus what Healy was reporting on Wednesday.
“Heard the offer from the Red Sox to Pete Alonso was 3 years and $85M plus an option for a 4th year at $35M,” James Stewart wrote on X.
It’s important to note that this is not a reporter sharing this information. The standard he needs to meet before running with information he receives is much lower than someone like Healy or ESPN’s Jeff Passan or any of the other reporters and insiders you see referenced here on Roundtable on a daily basis.
With that said, Stewart is someone who has been in the Boston market for a very long time, and knows a ton of people surrounding each of the four teams in town. Whether he’s getting these numbers from team sources, agents, media types that don’t have enough reporting done on their end to run with it on their own – whatever the case may be, this information isn’t coming out of thin air.
May 27, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) reacts after hitting a two run home run during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Citi Field. (Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images)
Boston had all the necessary ingredients going for them as it relates to Alonso: a major need in the middle of their order, a player who likes Boston with a wife that grew up in Quincy, a competing team for his services with far less money and fan interest, and payroll flexibility to bring in a new face-of-the-franchise-type to help knock guys like Roman Anthony home on a nightly basis throughout 2026.
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You throw that all in a pot, and it should produce an Alonso stew for Red Sox fans to slurp on for the rest of the winter, giving them plenty of time to spend money on a new shirsey at the pro shop before Christmas.
Instead, the only stewing Red Sox fans are doing now is in the form of anger with ownership.
Stewart’s numbers (three years, $85 million, big fourth-year option) fall in line with MassLive’s reporting from November that said Red Sox ownership is concerned about exceeding the $244 million Competitive Balance Tax threshold in 2026, as this could trigger financial penalties and other operational restrictions.
According to the report, team officials believe crossing that line would result in a “moderate financial loss.” Because MLB teams do not share their financial records, it’s impossible to verify whether that claim reflects actual revenue projections or an internal preference for maintaining a certain level of spending discipline.
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Anyone with a brain can tell you that it’s almost certainly the latter.
If Boston’s front office continues attempting to take half-measures the rest of this offseason, they’re going to hear boos while the starting lineup is announced on Opening Day at Fenway in 2026. Mark my words.
Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He’s a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.