MLB Analyst Mocks Pete Alonso to Sign With Seattle Mariners on Hefty Deal
The Seattle Mariners infield will likely look a lot different in 2025 than it did in 2024.
Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto and General Manager Justin Hollander have both said first, second and third base are all positions of need.
Seattle isn't likely to spend on big-name free agents with their available payroll and team owner/chairman John Stanton's offseason comments.
Most of the more-reputable rumors involve the Mariners trying to improve the team via trade. Teams like the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox have all been mentioned as possible trade partners with Seattle.
But this hasn't stopped various media members from listing the Mariners as potential suitors for several big-name free agents.
And Jim Bowden of the Athletic was the latest to link an elite slugger to the Pacific Northwest.
Bowden listed Pete Alonso as a free agent fit for Seattle on a seven-year, $189 million deal ($27 million AAV) in a recent story. Bowden had the following assessment on Alonso's fit with the Mariners:
The Mariners can’t sit back and let the best rotation in the American League not make the playoffs for a second consecutive season. The best single move they can realistically make is signing Alonoso, putting his 40-home run bat behind Julio Rodríguez in their lineup. Beyond the bat, Alonso brings a fun personality and an ability to perform in the biggest moments — something the Mariners desperately need. Last season, he hit .240/.329/.459 with 34 home runs. In the two prior years combined, he had 86 home runs with 249 RBIs. The four-time All-Star posts every day. He will turn 30 this week. He played in all 162 games last season and he’s played in at least 150 games in every full season of his career, plus 57 in the 60-game 2020 season.
Alonso, who's represented by infamous agent Scott Boras, is reportedly seeking a deal in excess of $200 million. A recent report from MLB Network's Jon Heyman has said a return to the New York Mets is still the most likely scenario, but the Mariners and Washington Nationals are "in the mix."
Mets are still the favorites for Pete Alonso with the Nats & Mariners in mix, per @JonHeyman.
— Dan Bartels (@DanBartels2) December 6, 2024
Alonso is one of the players who's been left waiting for the result of the Juan Soto sweepstakes. The Mets are one of the final teams in the running for Soto (who's also represented by Boras), and recent reports have said the superstar's deal can be around $750 million.
If New York does land Soto, it's hard to believe they'll shell out almost $1 billion for him and Alonso.
The great @HowieRose calls Pete Alonso’s ninth inning home run that sent the Mets to the NLDS against the Phillies and eliminated the Brewers: pic.twitter.com/nJLSHATGsJ
— MLB Clutch Moments And Walk Offs (@MLBWalk_Offs) October 4, 2024
That could lead Alonso to finding somewhere else to sign. Alonso's projected deal from Bowden is around what Willy Adames just got from the San Francisco Giants (seven years, $182 million).
Seattle is still unlikely to spend big on one player. But they have reportedly checked in with the Cubs on Cody Bellinger, who's set to earn $27.5 million in 2025. The Mariners could clear up payroll to sign Alonso.
Whatever direction Seattle takes, the first domino to fall will likely take place during the MLB Winter Meetings from Dec. 9-12 in Dallas.
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