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New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso is expected to be one of the hottest commodities on the free agent market this offseason, and given that he is reportedly seeking a seven-year contract, likely in the neighborhood of $180 million, the contenders for his services are generally believed to be the top payroll teams in baseball — the teams that can obviously afford him. Those would include the Mets, where Alonso already holds the franchise all-time home run record (264), the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees and, of course, Los Angeles Dodgers, along with a select few others. The Dodgers may not have a place to put Alonso, who has never played a defensive position other than first base. Los Angeles already has the active career hits leader (2,431) Freddie Freeman at first. They also have a full-time designated hitter in three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, who appears likely to win a fourth award this year. The Yankees could be in the market for a first baseman, but with Ben Rice — who has already belted 33 home runs in 619 major league at-bats — set to take over there in 2026, the Bronx Bombers are "unlikely" to make a "serious run" at signing Alonso, according to MLB.com Yankees correspondent Bryan Hoch. Taking those two clubs off the table narrows Alonso's market considerably. But what if a highly unexpected franchise made a surprising bid for the "Polar Bear," as Alonso is known to his teammates and fans? That's what the host of the "Empire Sports Talk" podcast, Roman Janeiro, suggested on his Friday program. In fact, Janeiro did more than suggest it. He literally begged for the Alonso signing to happen in Pittsburgh. "I'm begging you and I'm begging the front office. It's time to sign Pete Alonso," Janeiro declared on the show. "The Polar Bear just hit free agency after electing to opt out of his deal with the Mets. And if there was ever a moment for the Pirates to make a real move, it's right now." Given that the Pirates have ranked in the bottom five MLB payrolls for nine straight years, and they weren't much higher than that earlier, signing a big-money free agent such as Alonso seems like an extremely far-fetched idea for owner Bob Nutting, who purchased the Pirates in 1996 for $92 million. More MLB: Scott Boras’ Reported Pete Alonso Contract Demand Blasted as ‘Insane’ But the franchise today is worth an estimated $1.32 billion, and Nutting himself is reported to hold personal net worth of $1.1 billion, though admittedly that makes him a pauper by MLB owner standards. Adding Alonso would inflate the Pirates payroll by approximately $29 million per year, according to the slugger's market value as projected by Spotrac. But the Pirates, Janeiro points out, have a prime opportunity heading into 2026, thanks to the team's young pitching staff headed by probable Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes. "One bat alone won't fix an offense that's been one of the worst in baseball for years," Janeiro said. "But when you've got that rotation. Yes, that rotation — Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, and Jared Jones when he's healthy — you owe it to those guys to back them up with run support." The Pirates have at least the building blocks of a competitive offense with center fielder O'Neill Cruz, right fielder Brian Reynolds and first baseman Spencer Horowitz, who compiled 47 home runs among them this season. Adding Alonso, who has averaged nearly 38 home runs per season in his seven-year career, to the lineup, could indeed give the Pirates' offense "swagger for days," in Janeiro's words. Whether general manager Ben Cherington could persuade his boss, Nutting, to write the check to acquire Alonso is another story altogether.
