Is Pete Alonso a Real Option for the Yankees?

Pete Alonso to the Yankees had its moment last offseason. Ultimately, he signed a two-year, $54 million deal to return to the Mets. It appeared that a lot of teams were wary of giving Alonso the big deal he desired following his lackluster 2024 campaign, in which he slashed .240/.329/.459 with career lows in home runs (34) and RBIs (88).

Alonso rebounded in a big way in 2025, slashing .273/.348/.526 with 38 home runs and 126 RBIs to the tune of a 141 wRC+. Per Baseball Savant, when looking at Pete’s underlying metrics, he was elite in the following categories:

• xwOBA – 96th percentile

• xBA – 91st percentile

• xSLG – 98th percentile

• Avg. Exit Velocity – 97th percentile

• Barrel % – 98th percentile

• Hard Hit % – 96th percentile

• LA Sweet Spot % – 85th percentile

• Bat Speed – 91st percentile

Pete is expected to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract, making him a free agent. He’ll ultimately be after a long-term deal. According to Spotrac, Pete Alonso’s expected market value on an AAV basis is around $30 million per year. Mike Puma of the New York Post reported that Alonso is expected to seek at least a seven-year deal on his upcoming contract.

In terms of WAR, Pete Alonso was the fourth-most valuable first baseman in MLB in 2025, posting a 3.6. A good comp for comparison would be the Freddie Freeman deal (six years, $162 million). At the time Freeman signed, he was a significantly better defender than Alonso, and his bat was also superior.

Overall, I do not believe Alonso will find a team willing to give him a seven-year deal, considering he is already 30 years old and will likely have to transition to DH in the next 2–3 seasons. I could see him getting a five- or six-year deal worth around $29–31 million in average annual value. For example, Spotrac projects Alonso’s next contract at six years, $177 million ($29.5 million AAV).

Now, the fit with the Yankees isn’t exactly clear, as they have Ben Rice slotted in at first base and he’s coming off a really strong year. However, Rice does have catcher versatility, so in theory, if the Yankees were inclined to lessen their defense behind the plate by going with Rice over Wells, they could make Alonso fit into their lineup. If they were to do this, Austin Wells could be a very enticing trade piece, as he has been a top-five catcher in WAR since 2024.

Final Thoughts: Kyle Tucker is still my personal top target for the Yankees, as I think he would improve the team the most. However, if the Yankees were to miss out on Tucker and instead re-sign Cody Bellinger and sign Pete Alonso, that could be a very enticing Plan B.

Potential Lineups

Bellinger/Alonso Lineup:

Rice (C)

Judge (RF)

Bellinger (LF)

Alonso (1B)

Jazz (2B)

Stanton (DH)

Dominguez/Jones (CF)

Volpe/Caballero (SS)

McMahon (3B)

Tucker Lineup:

Rice (1B)

Judge (RF)

Tucker (LF)

Stanton (DH)

Jazz (2B)

Dominguez/Jones (CF)

Wells (C)

Volpe/Caballero (SS)

McMahon (3B)

The Alonso/Bellinger option presents a deep and exciting lineup that would easily lead the league in home runs and be a top 3–5 offense in the sport. Although Alonso isn’t a natural fit, it could make sense for the Yankees both short- and long-term, with him filling in at first base and eventually taking over as DH after the 2027 season when Stanton’s contract expires.

That said, I still prefer the Tucker option because I think the overall team construction would be better, allowing the Yankees to allocate more financial resources toward pitching — and as we saw in the 2025 season, you can never have too much of that.

Would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on Alonso’s fit and which option they would prefer!