This playoff hero could be Mets’ Pete Alonso replacement

Negotiations between Alonso and the Mets significantly dragged last winter as Alonso's market cratered. While the Mets would like to keep Alonso, there are few alternatives on the open market. If agent Scott Boras decides to take his time sifting through offers from interested teams hoping to secure at least six guaranteed years for Alonso, the Mets could proactively pivot to signing Josh Naylor instead.

Naylor, who turned 28 in June, had a strong season between Arizona and Seattle, batting .295 with 20 home runs, 92 RBI, 30 stolen bases and an .816 OPS in 147 games. The Mariners also saw Naylor elevate his game in the postseason, where he hit .340 with three home runs, five RBI and a .967 OPS over 12 games.

Why Josh Naylor is a good fit for the Mets

While Alonso is undoubtedly a better power hitter than Naylor, his defense is significantly worse. According to Baseball Savant, Naylor graded out as an average fielder, rating in the 45th percentile for defensive value and in the 80th percentile for range, while Alonso was in the 8th and 2nd percentile for both of those respective categories.

With Naylor nearly three years younger than Alonso, who will turn 31 in December, he has a chance to be a defensive upgrade at first, which fits in nicely with David Stearns' desire to improve the Mets' run prevention this winter. While losing Alonso's pop would hurt, Naylor has some solid power potential in his own right, delivering 31 home runs and 108 RBI as a member of the Cleveland Guardians in 2024.

Signing Naylor would also allow the Mets to allocate their dollars more efficiently, which could be an issue if Alonso demands a significant pay bump over the $30 million salary he earned in 2025. The market could dictate Naylor signs for an average annual salary of about $20 million a year, similar to Christian Walker's deal with the Houston Astros last winter, and the Mets could look to add another bat to help supplement Naylor to increase their offensive output.

The one drawback with Naylor is that he is left-handed, and the Mets' lineup is already lefty-heavy; Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo are locked into the core, while Francisco Lindor is a switch hitter who will bat left-handed most of the time. Alonso's right-handed swing makes him an ideal compliment for that grouping, but improving defensively with Naylor and finding another righty bat to put in the middle of the order could mitigate that concern.

The question here with the Mets is timing, as it is likely Boras will drag Alonso's market out again to try and induce teams to pay up for his services. Naylor will likely come off the board quickly as teams with needs at first try to ensure they have an answer, so the Mets may need to make their Alonso decision sooner rather than later if Stearns thinks Naylor is a better long-term fit on the roster.