Do the New York Mets need to start making a Pete Alonso backup plan?
Even after signing Juan Soto to a record-smashing $765 million contract, the Mets have begun to profess their desire to bring back their four-time All-Star first baseman. But lots of teams are looking for right-handed power, so someone could offer Alonso an unexpected mega-deal.
If Alonso does leave, it’s possible that the Mets could be better off going the trade route, rather than looking for their new first baseman in a shallow free-agent pool (as of right now, Christian Walker and not much else).
The Tampa Bay Rays are always open for business, and they happen to have a star first baseman approaching the end of his most recent contract. Yandy Díaz, the 2023 American League batting champion, is owed the remaining $10 million of his $24 million extension in 2025 and has a $12 million club option in 2026.
On Tuesday, Noah Wright of FanSided named Díaz as a top potential replacement for Alonso at first base, if the Mets do go the trade route to bring in a new first baseman.
“While he hasn’t signed with another team yet, and the Mets seem interested to bring the slugger back into the fold, they should think about what potential alternatives there could be if he signs elsewhere,” Wright said.
“Diaz had two consecutive seasons with a wRC+ above 140 in 2022 and 2023. If he hits anything like that in 2025 and 2026, he’d easily replace Alonso, and for a fraction of the cost.”
Díaz, 33, only has 75 home runs in his eight-year career, so the Mets would be losing a lot of the power they got with Alonso. But he’s a fantastic on-base guy, with consecutive .400-OBP seasons in 2022 and 2023, so putting him around Soto in the lineup would give New York constant action on the bases.
Though Alonso is still the Mets’ Plan A at first base, it’s worth keeping a bookmark on Díaz as a fallback. This New York team is primed for a playoff push, and they can’t let their odds take a dent based on one free agent’s impending decision.
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