The Giants have already made one major internal addition with the signing Willy Adamsand stored Matt Chapman off the free agent market entirely by signing the third baseman to a six-year, $151MM extension back in September. As the Giants still weigh big moves, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that “Pete Alonso it’s on their radar” as a significant improvement on the first base/DH mix.
As it stands, LaMonte Wade Jr. will be getting a lot of first base at-bats, as will the left side of what would be a platoon situation. That said, reports suggested that San Francisco was open to moving Wade, and that the Giants were interested in signing him. Paul Goldschmidt before Goldschmidt came with the Yankees. High hopes Bryce Eldridge considered a long-term answer at first, and with Eldridge making his Triple-A debut in 2024, a short-term signing like Goldschmidt made sense as a bridge at the position.
Adding Alonso will change that trend a bit. If Alonso takes over the everyday starting role, Wade could be shifted to a temporary DH role, and Wade is a free agent next winter so he won’t remain a part of the Giants’ future plans. Eldridge played the outfield in 2023 but is considered more of a first baseman going forward, so he and Alonso could form a strong first base/DH combination even if such an arrangement would lock up both positions for years to come.
There’s also the possibility that Eldridge could be a big trade chip the Giants can grab to address other needs, or that Alonso won’t be a long-term addition. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand is hearing from various league executives that Alonso’s next contract may include an opt-out clause or two, thus allowing Alonso to re-enter the market as early as the 2025-26 season. Alonso’s agent, Scott Boras, has included such exit clauses in many of his clients’ deals in recent years, in some cases creating a greater degree of flexibility for teams and players who exit under the age of the platform.
It could be argued that Alonso is coming off two down years, as he has a solid but unspectacular 121 wRC+ since the start of the 2023 season. The first baseman has slugged 80 homers and hit .229/.324/.480 in 1,353 plate appearances over that span, while providing little value with his glove or on the bases. Clubs are increasingly wary of committing big money to debutants, and Alonso’s increasingly difficult approach raises questions about his offensive value.
Oracle Park may not necessarily be the best ballpark for the right-handed hitter to re-establish his value, though Alonso’s options may be limited. Yankees (Goldschmidt), Astros (Christian Walker), Diamondbacks (Josh Naylor), and foreigners (Nathaniel Lowe) all faced their needs in the beginning. MLBTR’s Leo Morgenstern recently took a look at Alonso’s market and cited the Giants along with the Reds, Tigers, Blue Jays, as potential dark horse contenders for the slugger, and the obvious possibility that Alonso recently re-signed with the Mets.
Indeed, most executives who spoke with Feinsand “believe an Alonso/Mets merger is inevitable,” even if such a deal involves opt-out clauses. The Mets have always been linked to both Alonso and Alex Bregmanleaving the team with an attractive selection of top cornerbacks since then Mark Vientos can play first or third base depending on who is signed. (Also, it’s not entirely out of the question that the aggressive Mets could sign both Bregman and Alonso, with Vientos moving to DH.) Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes that “a huge gap” remains between Alonso and and the Mets. in their current discussions.
Because both Adames and Alonso declined qualifying offers, the Giants would have to give up two more draft picks and another $1MM in international bonus money if they brought Alonso into the fold to join their new shortstop. This may not really be a deal breaker as the Giants have already given up two picks and $1MM to re-sign Chapman Blake Snell (two other qualified free agents) last season. RosterResource estimates San Francisco with a cap hit of $167.1MM and a tax figure of $207.5MM for 2025, so adding Alonso is possible even if it’s unclear how much ownership is willing to spend on next year’s roster.
Pursuit of Giants Corbin Burns signaled that the club is willing to make another splash, though Slusser notes that they didn’t give Burnes more than $210MM over six years than the righty got from the Diamondbacks. Indeed, Slusser characterizes the Giants’ courtship of Burnes as limited, writing that “San Francisco’s pursuit never progressed beyond initial discussions in general manager meetings…
President of baseball operations Buster Posey addressed the Giants’ next steps in a text to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic, with Posey writing that “We believe in our young arms, and we feel that they are in a position to take big steps forward. [We] we will continue to look on the offensive side for players who give us the opportunity to score runs in many ways.”
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