Seattle Mariners Continue to Be Curiously Linked to Pete Alonso in Free Agency

The Mariners being connected to Alonso makes sense on paper, but it doesn't make much sense financially.

New York Mets first base Pete Alonso (20) hits a single in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game five of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field on Oct 18. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Seattle Mariners are still one of the team's being connected to free agent first baseman Pete Alonso.

To be clear, Heyman isn't necessarily saying that the Mariners are "in" on Alonso, but he is saying that the M's make sense for Alonso.

He made the comments on the MLB Network.

The Mariners are among teams ‘in the mix’ for Pete Alonso, per @JonHeyman
pic.twitter.com/OfpfO4ws5g

— SleeperMLB (@SleeperMLB) December 28, 2024

Look, there continues to be two sides to this coin. First, it makes perfect sense to link the M's to Alonso. They need offense in general and they need power. Alonso accomplishes both. The M's also need a first baseman, especially a right-handed one, so that makes sense too.

However, the part that doesn't make sense is the money. The M's reportedly have only $16-20 million to play with for the rest of the year. Alonso has been looking for a deal that would get to $30 million annually or more, and the M's simply can't afford it.

Even if Alonso elected to take a one-year "pillow contract," the Mariners likely couldn't afford that either. At this point, it still seems far more likely that Alonso will return to the New York Mets. Heyman also lists the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants as options.

The 30-year-old Alonso is one of the most popular and productive Mets players in recent memory, having hit 226 regular season home runs since entering the league in 2019. He is a Rookie of the Year (2019), a four-time All-Star and a two-time Home Run Derby champion as well.

Alonso is coming off a year in which he hit .240 with a .329 on-base percentage. He hit 34 homers and drove in 88 runs.

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