How Josh Naylor's contract could impact Pete Alonso's free agency

If the New York Mets were planning to move in a different direction at first base with Pete Alonso on the free agent market, they will have to go ahead with one of the best alternatives at the position off the board.

Josh Naylor became the first major free agent to sign on Sunday night, re-upping with the Seattle Mariners for a five-year deal that will pay him between $90-$100 million.

BREAKING: First baseman Josh Naylor and the Seattle Mariners are finalizing a five-year contract, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. The first major free agent to sign this winter goes back to Seattle, where he was beloved after joining the Mariners in a deadline trade.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 17, 2025

While the exact dollar value on Naylor's contract has not been publicly revealed yet, the fact that he got five years from Seattle is an intriguing development for Alonso's market. Teams were very hesitant to give Alonso a long-term deal last winter, which may be due in part to the fact he had a qualifying offer attached to him. Alonso ultimately settled for a two-year deal with the Mets that had an opt-out after Year 1.

Alonso will likely have better luck on the market this time around, as he no longer has the QO attached and is coming off a strong platform year in 2025. His willingness to serve as a part-time DH, as agent Scott Boras alluded to at the GM Meetings last week, should also expand his list of potential suitors.

Scott Boras was asked if Pete Alonso is open to doing more DHing if he goes back to the Mets:

"I think Pete at this point in his career, he's about winning, no doubt. Had that question a lot. There's no doubt that Pete's pursuers are prime to pay the power piper. Pete picked a… pic.twitter.com/JyPV6JBnDQ
— SNY (@SNYtv) November 12, 2025

Defense has been a concern for Alonso, whose fielding mistakes were more notable in 2025, but his prodigious power will play in any market. The Mets have expressed their interest in retaining Alonso, but it remains unclear how long a contract they are willing to offer him.

David Stearns was asked about bringing back Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz:

"We love both Pete and Edwin. They've been great representatives of the organization. We'd love to have them both back" pic.twitter.com/n3DO9xhIHD
— SNY (@SNYtv) November 11, 2025

How Josh Naylor's deal impacts Pete Alonso's free agency

The fact that Naylor, who is a few years younger than Alonso, was able to command a five-year deal is a huge win for Alonso's negotiating position. If term is a priority for the Polar Bear, which was certainly the case last winter, seeing a first baseman with lesser accomplishments get a lengthy deal solidifies his case for holding the line at a five-year contract.

There should also be several big market teams interested in Alonso besides the Mets, including the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies. While the Phillies may view Alonso as a fallback option if they lose Kyle Schwarber, the Red Sox have a ton of money to spend after dumping Rafael Devers' contract and seeing Alex Bregman opt out, giving them the room to make a splash and add Alonso to the middle of their lineup.

The Mets will likely come up with a few creative structures to pitch to Alonso, including shorter-term deals with annual salaries closer to the $27 million benchmark or longer-deals with slightly lower AAVs and potential opt-outs built in. It feels like the one thing the Mets don't want is to cave on both years and dollars, which could make the contract an impediment to roster building if Alonso is forced to be a DH-only option in a few years.

The one thing that is clear, however, is that Alonso can now take his time to sort through his options now that one of his primary competitors at first base is off the board. It remains to be seen how long the Mets will wait for Alonso to make up his mind before considering other options to build their 2026 lineup.

How Josh Naylor's deal impacts Pete Alonso's free agency

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