The Orioles weren’t the only AL East team interested in Pete Alonso.
The Red Sox made an offer to Alonso for lesser years and “significantly less” money, according to The Boston Globe.
The slugging first baseman bolted the Mets for the Orioles on Wednesday for a five-year, $155 million offer that has left many questioning where the Amazin’s are going from here.
According to the report, Boston was concerned about Alonso’s longevity with him turning 31 years old earlier this week.
The Mets never made Alonso an offer, knowing the years and money were going to a place where they were not comfortable.
“These things don’t always line up,” Red Sox’s Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow told reporters from the winter meetings on Wednesday, per The Globe. “We’ve got to make the best decisions that we can for the organization. And players have to make the best decisions for themselves and their families. And now we’ve got to figure out another way to improve our roster.”
Red Sox fans have been clamoring for the team to make a splash following a step forward last season that saw them advance to the wild-card round, where they lost to the Yankees in three games.
The Red Sox lacked the power bat in the middle of their lineup after trading away Rafael Devers to the Giants early in the season after he was frustrated over being moved off third base for Alex Bregman.
Bregman, who is also 31, opted out of his Red Sox deal after one season and is a free agent. The Globe wondered if Boston’s concern over age would also keep them from pursuing a longer deal with Bregman.
“We remain engaged with any player that we think can help us,” Breslow said. “[Bregman is] certainly one of them.”
The Red Sox’s most significant move of the offseason was adding veteran pitcher Sonny Gray in a trade with the Cardinals. The Yankees-hating Gray will give Boston a solid pitcher behind ace Garrett Crochet.
But the lineup — even with young stud outfielder Roman Anthony returning from injury — still needs work this offseason.
Alonso swatted 38 home runs, 41 doubles and had 126 RBIs last season for the Mets — and now will be a problem for the Red Sox and the rest of the AL East to deal with for the next five years.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
