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Sean McAdam: Five quick thoughts on Pete Alonso signing with Red Sox’ division rival
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- Sean McAdam: Five quick thoughts on Pete Alonso signing with Red Sox’ division rival
Here are five quick thoughts in reaction to the news that Pete Alonso has agreed to a five-year, $155 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles .
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1) Alonso's deal was a reasonable one.
Earlier in the offseason, there was speculation that Alonso was seeking a deal that would surely be the last one of his career and go as long as six or even seven years.
It was not. The five-year deal with the Orioles is certainly reasonable in length. The fact that the Red Sox were unwilling to match the Orioles' offer is more than a little disconcerting.
Had this been an obvious overpay — say, something over $200 million and seven years in length — it would be understandable for the Red Sox to not match. But again, this deal feels reasonable for the market.
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The Red Sox had to know that the AAV on a deal like this was going to reach $30 million; this one barely cleared that bar. And again, the length of the deal was reasonable enough.
2) It's hard to believe that a similar offer from the Red Sox wouldn't have landed Alonso.
The Red Sox are coming off a playoff season and appear to be a contender again. Fenway Park is a much better hitting environment than is Camden Yards, especially for a righthanded pull hitter. And finally, Alonso's wife is from the greater Boston area.
All of those factors suggest the Sox could have stolen Alonso had they merely matched the Orioles' offer. The fact that they didn't suggests the Red Sox weren't particularly competitive with their bid.
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3) The Orioles are beginning to become another divisional threat.
When owner David Rubenstein bought the Orioles two years ago, he vowed to spend on his hometown team. Then....nothing.
But a switch has been flipped this offseason. The Orioles now have Alonso and they're said to be aggressive in the starting pitching market, with some talks centered on Framber Valdez , who pitched for Mike Elias in Houston .
That's not to suggest the Orioles are going to spend at the level of the Yankees or Blue Jays, or even the Red Sox.
But one thing's now clear: they can't be taken for granted anymore now that Rubenstein has taken out his wallet.
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4) The Red Sox' choices are narrowing.
Schwarber and Alonso were the two best power bats on the free agent marker and both are now off the board.
That leaves the Red Sox with three options: lesser free agents ( Jorge Polanco , Eugenio Suarez , Bo Bichette ); trade targets (Isaac Parades, Ketel Marte ) or the international market ( Kazuma Okamoto ).
Perhaps that was the plan all along for the Red Sox — to bring back Alex Bregman as their big-ticket item in free agency and add a second, more complementary bat that wasn't as costly.
5) So far, Craig Breslow isn't duplicating last winter.
A year ago, Britton hit on nearly all of his moves. He landed the No. 1 starter they needed in Garrett Crochet . He acquired a closer who then far surpassed expectations in Aroldis Chapman . He uncovered a young catcher who emerged as the team's No. 1 behind the plate in Carlos Narvaez .
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His one misfire from last offseason was Walker Buehler .
This year, Breslow made two significant pitching adds by dealing for Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo . But he's yet to find the bat (or two) the Red Sox so obviously need, something Breslow identified as a priority.
There's still time, of course. But in mid-December, Breslow finds himself playing from behind.
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