There are going to be lots of moving parts in the National League East this offseason.
The Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, and New York Mets, the three teams in competition for a division title, all have one other thing in common. Their 2024 home run leaders (and likely 2025 as well) will be heading to free agency.
Kyle Schwarber, Marcell Ozuna, and Pete Alonso are all over 30, but their power production will warrant big contracts. The Phillies' top choice would almost certainly be to keep Schwarber, who is currently tied with Shohei Ohtani for the major league home run lead at 17.
Let's remove Schwarber from the equation for a moment. Regardless of whether or not he re-signs with the Phillies, is there a chance Philadelphia goes after one of the other two names above?
Jim Bowden of The Athletic seems to think so. The former MLB general manager and current insider named the Phillies among the prospective suitors for Alonso, saying Bryce Harper could move back to the outfield to accommodate a new slugging first baseman.
"Alonso entered Tuesday ranked fourth in MLB with a .965 OPS," Bowden wrote. "He likely will opt out and get the long-term contract he sought last offseason before returning to the Mets on a two-year, $54 million deal.
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"If he doesn’t stay in New York, Alonso would be a fit with several teams including the Phillies (Bryce Harper would seem willing to move back to the outfield for him)."
Alonso is second behind only Aaron Judge in home runs since the start of 2019 with 235. He's an obvious fit for any team looking for power, though the Phillies would already have plenty if they kept Schwarber.
There's no question at this point that the Phillies are willing to spend. But both Alonso and Schwarber are likely to get nine-figure contracts, so the odds would seem better that the former comes to Philadelphia only if the latter departs.
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