Report: Phillies named possible suitor for Pete Alonso

MLB free agency is underway, and a former Met first baseman is on the market.

“The Phillies are looking to add a hitter and replenish their bullpen,” Jon Heyman wrote for the New York Post. “But it’s said unlikely that they’d move Bryce Harper back to the outfield to pursue [Pete] Alonso. Harper has transitioned very well to 1B.”

Does Pete Alonso make sense in Philadelphia?

Not really.

Alonso is a high-slugging first-baseman who posts a 22.8 strikeout percentage in his six years in the majors. He is coming off a season where he played all 162 games but had a down year to his standards. He hit 34 homers, 88 RBIs, and posted a slash line of .240/.329/.459 with a .788 OPS. All were a career-worst, excluding 2020 (the 60-game season due to COVID-19).

However, Alonso killed the postseason. In 13 games in October, he hit .273 with a .574 slugging percentage and a .999 OPS. He also hit four home runs and 10 RBI.

And we all know his career numbers against the Phillies. He has slugged 17 homers and 56 RBIs in 91 games against the Phillies in his career.

So why not diminish his dominance against us by signing him?

Well, the almost 30-year-old is projected to receive something like a seven-year deal worth $189 million total, good for an average annual value of $27 million per season, per The Athletic.

And the Phils already have a guy at first. Who? No. Bryce Harper. And the Phillies really liked Harper’s transition to first. Does not sound like the Phils have any interest in sending the Gold Glove finalist back to the outfield.

So for those of you who were hoping the polar bear would land in Philadelphia, I am sorry.

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