3 Reasons Why New York Mets Former First Baseman Could End Up with the A's
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The market for free agent first baseman Pete Alonso is shrinking, and even the New York Mets, his former club, aren't necessarily a perfect fit as the offseason progresses. New York could easily move Mark Vientos from third to first base while also getting better production at the plate at a lower cost.
In 2024, Vientos primarily manned the hot corner and put up a 133 wRC+ (100 is league average) and 2.9 fWAR. His defense didn't grade out quite as well, but first base is known for covering up some shortcomings with the glove.
Vientos won't even be arbitration eligible until after the 2026 campaign, and while the Mets aren't shy about spending money, not doling out the duckets for Alonso could mean an upgrade via free agency at third base. Alex Bregman would be the best option on the market. Alonso put up a 122 wRC+ with a 2.1 fWAR while hitting 34 home runs.
If this ends up being the case, then finding a landing spot for Alonso could be tricky and a surprise team could emerge. Here are three reasons why that team could be the A's.
A's Need to Keep Spending
As has been discussed plenty, the A's need to get their payroll to around $105 million this offseason to avoid a grievance being filed against them by the MLBPA, per the rules in the CBA that dictate that a team on revenue sharing must spend a certain amount over their revenue sharing check to stay in the clear. The A's benchmark for a roughly $70 million influx from the rev share program is believed to be $105 million.
Even after the additions of Luis Severino (3 years, $67 million), and Gio Urshela (1 year, $2.15 million), and the trade for Jeffrey Springs (2 years, $21 million plus a $15 million team option for 2027), the A's luxury tax payroll estimate sits at $89.945 million per Roster Resource. That means that they still need to spend about $15 million on 2025 payroll to reach where they need to be.
Alonso was projected for five years and $125 million by MLB Trade Rumors before the offseason began, and while a five-year deal for a player with Alonso's skillset could be a tricky proposition for front offices, a three year deal at that same AAV could be doable. That is where the A's could come in, especially with so many other teams already addressing first base vacancies this winter.
While they only need to spend $15 million to avoid potential repercussions, doing the bare minimum is how the team has operated for all of these years under John Fisher's ownership. If they want to send a message and signal things are truly different as they prepare for a proposed future in Las Vegas, they could splurge a bit and get a big bat to make them jump from an interesting club with upside to a potential threat.
Signature Addition
While the A's have added two big arms to their starting rotation in Severino and Springs, those names aren't going to break through outside of the baseball sickos. If the A's are looking to draw some attention to themselves for a positive reason, signing a player with Alonso's name recognition would go a long way.
It also doesn't hurt that he'd be in the lineup most days, which is a reason to buy a ticket to see the club. With the A's in West Sacramento for at least the next three seasons in a ballpark with a capacity of 14,000, ticket sales shouldn't be an issue, but making them harder to come by as well as desirable for a reason outside of them being the new thing to do in town is what the A's need to strive for. If they can't sell out a 14,000 seat park for a few years, then that wouldn't bode well for their Vegas plans.
Adding pitching is great for building a winning club, but unless you're adding one of the best pitchers in the game, they just don't bring as much attention with them. Position players are good for business, and one that hits homers like Alonso would be a great addition to pair with Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler.
What About Tyler Soderstrom?
You may have been asking yourself, what happens to the presumed first baseman Tyler Soderstrom in this scenario? Well, there would be a couple of options. The first would be to throw him in left field and keep him in the organization while looking to trade either Seth Brown, Miguel Andujar, or Esteury Ruiz.
The other would be to trade Soderstrom himself.
While Soderstrom hasn't had his big breakout just yet, he has shown flashes of what he can do and there is optimism around him entering 2025. He'll be entering his age 23 season next year, and in 2024 he hit .233 with a .315 OBP, nine home runs, and a 114 wRC+ across 213 plate appearances. He's a solid player with some questions to answer. Alonso is a veteran with more of a track record.
If the A's were to trade Soderstrom, perhaps they could add onto the deal and pry Jared Jones away from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Or they could look to make a rare intra-division trade with the Seattle Mariners for Emerson Hancock.
There would be a deal to be had for a young starting pitcher that the A's could immediately slot into their rotation, giving them a boost at two different positions.
The one big drawback to signing Alonso for the A's would be that the team just drafted Nick Kurtz in the 2024 MLB Draft, and moved him quickly up to Double-A. While he doesn't have a ton of pro games under his belt, there is a decent chance he could be ready to debut in the second half of 2025, or by Opening Day in 2026. If Alonso is installed at first, that could stall Kurtz's progress because the team isn't likely to just bench the guy they're paying $25 million per season.
Is the fit perfect? No. Is it something they should consider and figure out the logistics later? Absolutely.
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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