The Chicago Cubs are Rumored to be in on Signing former New York Mets Slugger

The market for Pete Alonso so far this winter has been a rather quiet one to say the least especially for teams in need of someone to play first base. So far, the New York Mets still seem to have the best chances of being the team most likely to sign Pete Alonso when it’s all said and done, but there could be a team like the Cubs who slide in and sign Alonso.

However, for the Cubs signing someone like Pete Alonso for the amount he is seeking which according to some estimates could be as high as $180 million and as long as six years. For a price like that the Chicago Cubs could get a solid number two starting pitcher.

Alonso who just turned 30 earlier this month is a really solid ball player and would be a great addition to any ball club. He will hit your team 30+ home runs for a season while driving in over 120 RBI, as well as having the capability of getting on-base consistently with having a career on-base percentage of .339. In 2024 Pete Alonso played in all 162 games, which for Pete Alonso’s whole career he has not played in less than 150 games ever in his career other than shorten 2020 season. Earlier in this off-season USA Today Bob Nightengale linked the Chicago Cubs to signing Pete Alonso this off season writing:

“If All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso doesn’t return to the Mets, rival executives believe he will wind up in Seattle or with the Cubs,” Nightengale wrote.

Last year for the New York Mets Pete Alonso had pretty much a standard season he would have any other year of his career other than his slugging percentage and OPS numbers dropping slightly. In 162 games Alonso was named an All-Star, had 146 hits, 31 doubles, 34 HRs, 88 RBI, for a slash line of .240/.329/.459 and an OPS and OPS+ of .728 and 123. Solid offensively and decent with his glove, Alonso would be great to have as a member of the Chicago Cubs but given his price and roster construction he just doesn’t fit.

No Need on the Roster

Currently at first base the Chicago Cubs have Michael Busch manning the right side of the infield with General Manager Jed Hoyer stating earlier this off season that:

“We really see Michael as a Gold Glove first baseman,” Hoyer said. “That’s our focus. Can he move around a little bit? Of course. His versatility is great, but he made real strides at first. I thought after the first month of the season, he was fantastic at first. And that’s certainly how we’re seeing him.”

Michael Busch, who just turned 27, was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers with Yency Almonte to the Chicago Cubs for Jackson Ferris(minors) and Zyhir Hope (minors). Last year for the Cubs Busch played in 152 games where he had 123 hits, 28 doubles, 2 triples, 21 HRs, 65 RBI, with a slash line of .248/.335/.440 with and OPS and OPS+ of .775 and 118.

Over at first base Busch displayed a .996 fielding percentage for the 2024 season as well as a 5 for defensive runs save. Busch’s splits versus lefties and righties are virtually the same which is really good. A .258 average with a .712 OPS against lefties and a .246 average and .788 OPS versus righties. A valuable option to have at first the Cubs declaring Busch the starter now can only boost his confidence and with a full season under his belt now, the third-year infielder looks to take big strides in 2025.

The biggest ask for Busch to make this coming season that the Chicago Cubs need him to make is gaining more power. In order for the Cubs to be successful this season they will need to have power come from guys in the lineup like Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki. The acquisition of Kyle Tucker will help give the Cubs most of their power with showing the ability to hit 30 home runs in a season which he has done twice in his career. Seiya Suzuki who hit 21 HRs (same as Busch) last season who like Michael Busch will need to increase both his home run count into the 25-30 range with hitting somewhere near 30 doubles.

With first base being already filled and Jed Hoyer giving Michael Busch such a high evaluation of his play at first base, the only other position available for Pete Alonso to have a shot at securing is the designated hitting spot, which is currently occupied by Seiya Suzuki who played in 59 games at the DH spot last season. That role will only seem to expand further in 2025 since Kyle Tucker will get the bulk of the reps out in rightfield with Suzuki only seeing some time out there.

Now there have been rumors started by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic the Chicago Cubs could look to trade Seiya Suzuki and teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers appear to be interested. Trading Seiya Suzuki would not be advisable for the Chicago Cubs to do especially with them recently trading away outfielder Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees. Trading Seiya away would only further deplete the Cubs of their outfield depth and a key part of their lineup, who according to FanGraphs projects Suzuki to be the Cubs three-hole hitter come 2025.

In the end would signing a player like Pete Alonso be great for the Cubs? Yes, it would be fantastic, and I can only imagine how many home runs he would hit in the hot summer months in Chicago, but the money and years needed to obtain a talented player such as Pete Alonso is could better be spent to signing a top tier starting pitcher, or more importantly getting a contract extension done with newly acquired Chicago Cub Kyle Tucker.