Boston swings and misses again as Pete Alonso heads to Baltimore, leaving Red Sox fans furious and the team still searching for its middle-order thunder.
On Wednesday, news broke during Day 3 of the Winter Meetings in Orlando, FL that former Mets first baseman Pete Alonso had reportedly agreed to a five-year, $155 million deal with the Orioles.
Not only is this significant with an AL East rival signing one of baseball’s best power hitters in the midst of his prime, it also leaves the Red Sox at the altar, having whiffed on both Alonso and Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber over the last two days.
With Boston having a major need in the middle of the order, both Alonso and Schwarber had been linked to the team since getting bounced in the Wild Card Round by New York at Yankee Stadium. Their offense ran dry, and guys like Alonso and Schwarber would have immediately given Boston a spark in 2026 and beyond.
Instead of that power coming to Fenway Park, both players will be playing baseball in the mid-Atlantic over the next half-decade.
While the Phillies were always seen as the favorites to reunite with Schwarber, the Red Sox were considered among the favorites to land Alonso, with reports coming down on Saturday from The Boston Globe that Boston was “high on his list.” Add in the fact that Alonso’s wife is from Quincy, and the whole situation felt like a layup for Boston.
Even with The New York Post’s Jon Heyman saying yesterday that the Red Sox were getting “doggone serious” in the Alonso market, they clearly weren’t getting serious enough.
According to Tim Healy of The Boston Globe, the Red Sox’s offer to Alonso was for significantly less money and for fewer years than Baltimore.
Put that all in a pot, and you can understand why Red Sox Nation was stewing on Wednesday in the wake of this breaking news.
Here’s a sampling of what various members of Red Sox Twitter had to say in the aftermath:
Jared Carrabis, Underdog: “I need to know what the Red Sox offer was to Pete Alonso, if there was even an offer made at all. That’s important context, but I’m absolutely not expecting the Red Sox to be vindicated in any way upon learning that information.
Carrabis follows up, reacting to news that Boston’s offer wasn’t close: “Legitimately f****** embarrassing. How can this organization continue to talk such a big game and routinely not back it up? You say you need a big bat, this dude right here was the PERFECT FIT, and you come in with some f****** Miami Marlins a** offer. EMBARRASSING.”
Savage Sports, X: “I’m sure they’ll do something, but at this point it’s sure to be underwhelming.”
Tyler Milliken, Section 10 Podcast: “If you’re tired of the Rafael Devers discourse, there’s a pretty good way to end it. Go replace him. Boom. Just like that. It’s that simple. Yes, people will forever be pissed about the return, but if you spend the money properly, just about everyone will shut up. Craig Breslow hasn’t done it. So guess what? It’s going to keep coming up. Lots of offseason left, but until things are corrected, the anger will be loud.”
Nat Gordon, Play Tessie & NESN: “The only word to describe losing out on this key of a free agent by a significant margin to a smaller market division rival? E-m-b-a-r-r-a-s-s-i-n-g. You’re the Boston Red Sox. Your team leader in home runs last year was 25. Pete Alonso was on the market. What are we doing?”
Will Flemming, WEEI: “Twitter is a pretty reasonable place, huh? Good effing God. I’m a liar! I have no credibility! Did I say they would sign Alonso? I did not. Did I say that I thought they would do things to make the team better? Yes I did. I stand by that. I’m all set with this platform. I will miss hearing from - and talking to - so many Red Sox fans and friends. But it has gotten so toxic and negative, it’s not really worth engaging. I thank all of you for being my friends on here and look forward to taking to you on the air”Steve Perrault, Underdog: “No Alonso or Schwarber for the Sox is brutal. If they don’t bring back Bregman and add another piece via trade or signing I’ll be extremely furious. There’s a crowd of Sox Twitter that always goes “we fell for it again!” Couldn’t disagree more. There’s no falling for anything for me until I see the Passan tweet. I haven’t posted much this week because the real smoke has been minimal at best. The Sox gotta wake up now.”
Lou Merloni, NESN: “Onto Okamoto!!”
Ceddanne Rafaela Enjoyer, X: “Say it with me folks. The. Entire. Offseason. Did. Not. Hinge. On. Pete. Alonso.”
Sammy James, Play Tessie: “Maybe the Astros trade Yordan? Idk I’m just frantically trying to think of where the Red Sox get power from with Alonso and Schwarber both off of the board. ‘Aggressive and decisive.’”
Hogdale, Barstool: “Glad the Red Sox were super aggressive and decisive in their pursuit of Pete really showed true INTEREST. Pete Alonso is a Baltimore Oriole. Every year Craig has to relearn that players get overpaid in free agency.”
Fitzy, WEEI: “EPIC FAIL RED SOX. Pete Alonso averages 40 home runs a season, would have potentially hit more in a ballpark tailor made for his swing, plus he plays first base and his wife is from Quincy. And the Red Sox chose not to make him a proper offer. MAKES SENSE.”
Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.