The Boston Red Sox may have just gotten a huge break in their possible pursuit of free agent first baseman Pete Alonso this offseason. 

How? Because of the Josh Naylor deal with the Seattle Mariners.

Naylor, 28, signed a five-year deal with Seattle on Sunday night. Though the financial terms haven't been released yet, it's expected to be between $90 and $100 million.

Comparing the two players

1) Naylor is the younger player, as he won't turn 29 years old until June of 2026. Alonso will turn 31 in just three weeks.

2) Alonso is the more accomplished player, as he's a five-time All-Star. Naylor is a one-time All-Star.

3) Alonso has never hit less than 34 home runs in a full season (16 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season). Naylor has just one season of 30+ home runs. 

4) According to Baseball Reference, Naylor had a 3.1 WAR this past season. Alonso's was 3.4.

Why this is good for the Red Sox

Naylor has just set the market, so the Red Sox now have a baseline in their potential negotiations with Alonso.

It's certainly established that Alonso is the more accomplished player, but how will the age impact things? 

If Naylor, who is younger by 2.5 years, got five years, could the Red Sox get away with offering Alonso an even shorter deal? After all, MLBTradeRumors recently predicted him to get a four-year deal.

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If they are able to get away with four years, could they get away a deal in the $100-110 million range? That would be a higher AAV than Naylor, which would be deserved given his track record, but it wouldn't break the Red Sox bank. Especially at a time when they also want to bring back Alex Bregman and acquire a solid starter.

And even if Boston had to go five years to match Naylor, that doesn't approach the seven years or so that Alonso reportedly wanted. A five-year deal would also be affordable for Boston.

Not everyone agrees though

Speaking on MLB Network on Monday morning, former All-Star infielder Harold Reynolds said that he doesn't think Naylor's deal will have an impact on Alonso's dollar figure.

Other good news for the Red Sox

The Mariners, who were in dire need of a first baseman, no longer are potential suitors for Alonso. The free-spending Mets don't seem to care if they get him back, and the free-spending Dodgers already have Freddie Freeman. The Blue Jays already have Vladimir Guerrero Jr. locked up and the Padres have said they want to cut spending this offseason.

That means that the usual big-bidders won't be battling with the Red Sox, which should suppress the price on Alonso even further. The Yankees could get involved and challenge that, but it won't be a robust market of big spenders.

On the first base front

Remember, the Red Sox still have Triston Casas at first base. They don't necessarily "need" a first baseman, which means they don't have to appear desperate in negotiations. They have said they want a power bat, which Alonso certainly is.

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