Red Sox May Replace Rafael Devers With Mets' Four-Time All-Star, Says Insider

The Boston Red Sox's middle of the order looks a lot different right now than it was expected to.

On Opening Day, the Red Sox's number-two hitter was Rafael Devers, the third baseman-turned-designated hitter who was famously traded to the San Francisco Giants. Their numbers three and four hitters were Alex Bregman and Triston Casas, who are both on the injured list.

Casas won't be back all season, Bregman might not be back in free agency, and Devers isn't ever coming back. So although the Red Sox have a plethora of young talent nearing the majors, they would be wise to add a new middle-of-the-order bat at some point within the next year.

Could the Red Sox land the right-handed slugger they've long needed in the form of New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso? It was a fit often discussed last winter, but after Alonso's huge year, insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post thinks the Red Sox may give him a second thought.

"Could Boston be a landing spot for Pete Alonso? He’s better when he goes the other way, but the Green Monster couldn’t hurt, either," Heyman wrote.

"Even before (Triston Casas) was injured, the Red Sox didn’t seem sold on Casas. They will need to replace Rafael Devers’ bat (even if they re-sign Alex Bregman — no guarantee). Alonso, whose wife is from Boston, is practically a Devers duplicate offensively (.859 career OPS for Alonso to .856 for Devers) who embraces 1B."

Alonso, 30, is in the middle of a fantastic offensive season, much better than the 2024 campaign that only landed him a two-year "pillow contract." His .909 OPS, 18 home runs, and National League-best 25 doubles should land him a spot on his fifth career All-Star roster in just over a week.

Currently, Spotrac projects Alonso for a four-year, $123 million contract.

For Boston, free agency this winter will be a test of fealty. They're constantly pledging to spend these days as part of their goal to make the playoffs. If they don't do that this year, can they be trusted to reallocate the money they saved on Devers' contract to grab someone like Alonso?