The Giants already made one huge infield addition by signing Willy Adames and saved Matt Chapman off the free-agent market totally by signing the third baseman to a six-year, $151M extension again in September. With the Giants nonetheless weighing huge strikes, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle stories that “Pete Alonso is on their radar” as a major improve to the primary base/DH combine.
Because it stands, LaMonte Wade Jr. will probably be getting the majority of first base at-bats, because the left-handed hitting facet of what’s going to doubtless be a platoon scenario. That mentioned, stories have advised San Francisco is open to transferring Wade, and that the Giants had some curiosity in signing Paul Goldschmidt earlier than Goldschmidt landed with the Yankees. High prospect Bryce Eldridge is considered because the long-term reply at first base, and with Eldridge making his Triple-A debut in 2024, a shorter-term signing like Goldschmidt made sense as a bridge on the place.
Including Alonso would solely considerably change that path. If Alonso took over the on a regular basis first base position, Wade might be shifted into the part-time DH position, and Wade is a free agent subsequent winter so he may not stay a part of the Giants’ future plans. Eldridge performed some outfield in 2023 however is basically considered as a primary baseman going ahead, so he and Alonso may type a robust first base/DH combo even when such an association would lock down each positions for years to come back.
There’s additionally a chance that Eldridge may turn out to be a giant commerce chip the Giants can dangle to handle different wants, or that Alonso wouldn’t essentially be a long-term addition. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand hears from varied executives across the league that Alonso’s subsequent contract may contain an opt-out clause or two, thus permitting Alonso to re-enter the market doubtlessly as early because the 2025-26 offseason. Alonso’s agent Scott Boras has included such opt-out provisions in a number of of his purchasers’ offers in recent times, in some instances creating an additional stage of flexibility for groups and for gamers coming off less-than-ideal platform years.
It might be argued Alonso is coming off two relative down years, as he has a stable however unspectacular 121 wRC+ for the reason that begin of the 2023 season. The primary baseman slugged 80 homers and hit .229/.324/.480 in 1353 plate appearances over that span, whereas offering little worth together with his glove or on the basepaths. Golf equipment are more and more cautious about committing huge cash to first base-only gamers generally, and Alonso’s more and more homer-heavy strategy raises questions on his total offensive worth.
Oracle Park might not precisely be the very best ballpark for a right-handed hitting slugger to re-establish his worth, although Alonso’s choices could also be more and more restricted. The Yankees (Goldschmidt), Astros (Christian Walker), Diamondbacks (Josh Naylor), and Nationals (Nathaniel Lowe) have all addressed their wants at first base. MLBTR’s Leo Morgenstern lately checked out Alonso’s market and cited the Giants together with the Reds, Tigers, Blue Jays, as doable darkhorse candidates for the slugger, together with the extra apparent chance that Alonso simply re-signs with the Mets.
Certainly, many of the executives who spoke with Feinsand “consider an Alonso/Mets reunion is inevitable,” even when such a deal entails opt-out clauses. The Mets stay linked to each Alonso and Alex Bregman, leaving the staff with an attention-grabbing selection of top-tier nook infielders since Mark Vientos can play first or third base relying on who’s signed. (Or, it isn’t totally out of the query that the aggressive Mets may signal each Bregman and Alonso, with Vientos transferring to DH.) Jon Heyman of the New York Submit writes that “a large hole” stays between Alonso and the Mets of their present negotiations.
As a result of each Adames and Alonso rejected qualifying affords, the Giants must give up two extra draft picks and one other $1M in worldwide bonus pool cash in the event that they introduced Alonso into the fold to hitch their new shortstop. This may not essentially be an impediment for the reason that Giants already gave up two picks and $1M to signal Chapman and Blake Snell (two different certified free brokers) final offseason. RosterResource estimates San Francisco for roughly a $167.1M payroll and $207.5M luxurious tax quantity in 2025, so including Alonso is possible even when it stays unclear how a lot possession is prepared to spend on subsequent 12 months’s roster.
The Giants’ pursuit of Corbin Burnes signaled that the membership was prepared to make one other splurge, although Slusser notes that they didn’t supply Burnes greater than the $210M over six years than the righty acquired from the Diamondbacks. Certainly, Slusser frames the Giants’ courtship of Burnes as pretty restricted, writing that “San Francisco’s pursuit by no means superior a lot past preliminary talks on the common supervisor conferences…and a suggestion made at that time didn’t get issues off the bottom.”
President of baseball operations Buster Posey addressed the Giants’ subsequent steps in a textual content to The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly, with Posey writing “We consider in our younger arms, and really feel like they’re ready to take some huge steps ahead. [We] will proceed to look on the offensive facet for gamers that give us an opportunity to attain runs in a number of methods.”
