Phillies Urged to Pursue Star Slugger From Rival Mets if Kyle Schwarber Leaves

The Philadelphia Phillies have officially turned the page on a frustrating and heartbreaking finish to the 2025 season and have shifted the focus to what is sure to be an absolute roller coaster of an offseason.

Change is coming, and while the possible degrees of that change vary, there is no question that things will look different next season in the City of Brotherly Love. As far as free agency goes, the conversation has largely revolved around the status of designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.

Normally, contract demands like Schwarber will have from a player of his age and lack of defensive value would be absurd, but he is very much the exception to the rule. Coming off a 56 home run and 132 RBI season, the slugger is deservedly due to get paid.

While the assumption has always been that Schwarber and Philadelphia will work out, a backup plan must be in place. In a recent article from former MLB GM Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required), he gave an idea that fans would very much be on board with in New York Mets star Pete Alonso.

Phillies Linked to Pete Alonso Should They Fail to Sign Schwarber

Pete Alonso of New York Mets plays first base next to Bryce Harper of Philadelphia Phillies — Apr 23, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) leads off first base against New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) during the first inning at Citi Field. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

"The Phillies need to find a way to get Schwarber signed — no matter how painful it is in terms of price. If for some reason he departs, then a quick pivot to signing Pete Alonso would make sense," Bowden wrote before mentioning his own spectacular 2025 season. "[Alonso is] also another strong clubhouse presence and offers the ability to play first base if the team needs to spell Harper at that spot."

Signing Alonso would likely mean letting Harper move to DH full-time, something he probably would not be against at this point of his career while giving him the occasional start there instead of Alonso. The question then becomes whether or not Alonso is the right fit for Philadelphia.

Does Alonso Make Sense for Phillies?

Pete Alonso of New York Mets high fives teammates./ — Sep 27, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) celebrates his solo home run against the Miami Marlins in the third inning at loanDepot Park. | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The short answer here is that a player who just slashed .272/.347/.524 with 38 home runs and 126 RBI while playing in all 162 games in each of the last two seasons -- and has never missed more than 10 games in a year -- is a fit for any team in baseball.

While specifically Alonso would take some getting used to after seven years of booing him in Philadelphia, there is no question the superstar slugger would make this team better while giving them the flexibility to move the defensive alignment around.

Alonso did not have the same kind of season as Schwarber, but he is two years younger, strikes out far less, and is less reliant on the long ball to make a huge impact. A serious argument could be made that bringing Alonso into the fold provides this team with an offensive upgrade if Schwarber were to leave.

Needless to say, most fans would prefer keeping Schwarber rather than bringing in Alonso, but if the Schwarber negotiations prove more difficult than many think they will be, someone like Alonso would be a sensational backup plan.