Pete Alonso is now more in play than ever for the Blue Jays after Mets-Rangers deal

When the New York Mets made the blockbuster trade with the Texas Rangers this past Sunday, sending outfielder Brandon Nimmo to Texas for second baseman Marcus Semien, there were more repercussions that one would expect. For one, it meant that New York was once again going to be big players this offseason. The second is that it could ultimately have an indirect consequence to the Toronto Blue Jays and their offseason plans as well.

With the Mets now in need of an elite outfielder to replace Nimmo, they have suddenly set themselves up to be in play for one of the top free agents in the league in which the Blue Jays are after as well.

That player, of course, is none other than Kyle Tucker. However, what it inadvertently brings into play now more than ever is the fact that the chances of the Blue Jays landing former Mets slugger Pete Alonso have now increased.

Is Pete Alonso now more in play than ever for the Blue Jays after Mets-Rangers deal?

During the past couple of off seasons, whenever Toronto was up against big competition in free agency such as the Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers, they have come up just short in their pursuit of high end free agents. That was true in the case of both Juan Soto, who joined the Mets last year and Shohei Ohtani who went to the Dodgers the year before that. 

If history manages to repeat itself once again, the Blue Jays will likely lose grasp of Tucker by the time all is said and done. However, if the 28-year-old star outfielder does end up joining New York, the Mets would be exhausting more of their financial resources to secure the elite talent. In doing so, they might not have enough left to also lock in Alonso long-term. His contract is predicted to be in the ballpark of $150 million over six years, according to Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report.

As a result, the Blue Jays missing out on Tucker would have plenty of resources left to hand Alonso an attractive deal. It would bring the dream of having the former 2019 Home Run Derby finalists in Alonso and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. together to mash on the same team closer to a reality.

And if recruiting the 30-year-old slugger is the Blue Jays’ so-called backup plan to Tucker, we are here for it. After all, Alonso may have spent one less season in the majors than Tucker, but the star first baseman has averaged more home runs (42 to 31) and RBIs (114 to 103) than Tucker over a 162-game schedule per year. More importantly, Alonso has been relatively healthy throughout his MLB career, having played at least 152 games each season excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 year.

As for Tucker, he has had his injury woes during the past couple of seasons, limiting him to just 136 games in 2025 and only 78 games in 2024. As a result, Alonso could provide some massive value being consistently on the field and producing for Toronto.

The main offseason rumors have been pointing towards Tucker signing with the Blue Jays. But don’t be surprised if in the end, Toronto could be landing a prime offensive juggernaut bat instead, by scooping up Alonso when the dust has settled.