The Toronto Blue Jays have had a rough go in free agency over the last couple of years, but they’re starting to make up for lost time.
After being shut out on big names like Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto, the Jays recently nabbed free agent outfielder Anthony Santander. It sounds like they aren’t done, with free agent slugger Pete Alonso reportedly on their radar and potentially getting close to moving north of the border.
SNY’s Andy Martino reported Thursday that the Blue Jays and Alonso are “advancing” in their talks. Martino, a New York Mets insider who has covered Alonso throughout his career, did caution nothing is set in stone and a formal agreement is no guarantee.
That being said, once there’s smoke on these sorts of things, the fire typically follows rather quickly.
Signing Alonso would be a fascinating move for Toronto on multiple levels. The most obvious is that it would add another big bat to an already solid lineup. Santander signed with Toronto after hitting an average of 35 home runs per season over the last three years, including a career-high 44 dingers in 2024. Alonso, meanwhile, is a model of power-hitting consistency with no fewer than 34 home runs in any full season since breaking in, and only Aaron Judge has gone deep more than Alonso since 2019.
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If Toronto does convince Alonso to sign, though, it presents a potentially awkward situation with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The four-time All-Star was Toronto’s full-time first baseman over the last four seasons. He could move back across the diamond to third base, or one of the two could serve as designated hitter. However, Guerrero’s contract status — he’ll be a free agent after 2025 — must be considered. He’ll get a massive deal — one that significantly dwarfs what Alonso might land — and Toronto might not be in a position to make that work.
As for a team like the Boston Red Sox, who could use another right-handed bat to balance the lineup, seeing Alonso end up in Toronto wouldn’t be great. The Red Sox were reportedly showing some level of interest in Alonso, and just seeing him go to an American League East team wouldn’t be ideal. It could also mean the Sox increase their efforts to sign someone like Alex Bregman before spring training begins in a few weeks — although it sounds like that market might be heating up, too.
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