The Yankees lost Juan Soto to the Mets last offseason, an unprecedented move where a star from the Bronx went across town to Queens.
Could we see the inverse of this during the offseason?
Pete Alonso, who is currently a free agent, is someone whom the Yankees like according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, reporting that Hal Steinbrenner specifically likes the slugging first baseman.
He hit 38 home runs and posted an .871 OPS, the best mark he’s put up in a season since his rookie season in 2019, crushing the baseball in the air more than he has in years.
Right-handed power could be a need for the Yankees this season, but this would be a dramatic move to make such an improvement to the roster.
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Will the Yankees Steal Pete Alonso From the Mets?
The power that Pete Alonso brings from the right-handed side cannot be overlooked, he has hit more than 30 home runs in each non-shortened season he’s played in his MLB career.
He finished 8th in wRC+ (141) and xwOBA (.399) this past season among qualified hitters, having a Barrel% north of 18% while hitting for a solid average and making a decent amount of contact.
Alonso doesn’t have the massive strikeout issues that one would expect for a big hulking slugger, and his ability to lift the ball out of the yard makes him an instant threat in any lineup.
If the Yankees were to bring him in it would create some immediate complications for the roster, including their situation at catcher and first base.
Ben Rice is a great young hitter who finished inside the top 30 in qualified hitters in wRC+, but he also finished the 2025 season as a poor defensive catcher.
The inability to frame, block, or throw well made him a liability back there, leading to the team using Austin Wells at catcher in all seven of its playoff games.
Austin Wells has finished inside the top five in Fielding Run Value in each of the past two seasons among catchers, and that’s extremely valuable to the organization.
If the team were to bring in Pete Alonso, it would mean trading one of Ben Rice or Austin Wells, which would either result in a huge blow to the offense or a huge blow to the team defense.
The fit is complicated, but if the team trusts Rice to become a quality defender behind the plate, perhaps it opens the door for a first base addition this winter.