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Report: Red Sox’ offer to Pete Alonso was for ‘significantly less money’ than Orioles
"They were in on Pete. And I thought it was gonna happen, to be honest."
The Boston Red Sox whiffed on the top free-agent slugger left on the open market Wednesday.
Despite multiple reports tying Boston to free-agent first baseman Pete Alonso this winter, the 31-year-old All-Star reportedly opted to sign a five-year, $155 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles.
Wednesday’s news stands as a sizable setback for the Red Sox — given both Boston’s evident need for right-handed power in its lineup, as well as the pain of losing out to a coveted free-agent asset in a biding war with a fellow AL East team in Baltimore.
But according to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe, Boston’s desire to add a legitimate 30-to-40-homer bat like Alonso didn’t exactly prompt them to trade high-priced bids against the Orioles.
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“Following Kyle Schwarber’s return to the Phillies on Tuesday, Alonso’s deal meant that both of the best power bats available via free agency landed with other clubs — and in the case of Alonso, in the AL East,” Healey wrote. “The Red Sox’ offer to Alonso was for fewer years and significantly less money, sources said.”
On a Red Sox team seemingly set to open a new contention window in 2026 and beyond, a power hitter like Alonso would have made plenty of sense for Alex Cora’s roster. The right-handed Alonso has been one of the best sluggers in baseball over the last few years — averaging 42 home runs and 114 RBI across his seven-year MLB career with the Mets.
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But according to Healey, the Red Sox — while intrigued by Alonso’s fit and profile as a power hitter — still preferred Alex Bregman as a top free-agent target.
“My understanding is that the Red Sox preferred Bregman, but liked both,” Healey said on “Foul Territory” Wednesday of Alonso. “They were engaged with Pete. Planned to meet with Pete last night. I didn’t confirm that that actually happened, but it was on the agenda. … They were in on Pete. And I thought it was gonna happen, to be honest.
“People talk about his wife being from Quincy and a match there, Fenway Park, perfect fit, all that stuff. If you’re a right-handed hitter, he’d rather be at Fenway than Camden Yards, all things considered. But five years, $155 million is going to do a lot of convincing. So the Orioles got it done.”
Alonso offered the easiest path for the Red Sox to address an evident need in their lineup without having to relinquish valuable prospects and MLB talent in order to strike a trade for an asset like Marte or Seager.
But, the Red Sox still have options when it comes to adding more talent to their lineup, but their options are dwindling. Alex Bregman reportedly remains a “priority” for Boston when it comes to re-signing the veteran third baseman, while Boston could also target proven stars like Ketel Marte and Corey Seager via trade this winter.
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