The New York Mets’ plan for their lineup hinges on the Pete Alonso decision.
The Mets could bring back Alonso, emphasis on run prevention sidebarred, and run back a top half of the lineup that should rake among the game’s best in 2026. Or, they could attempt to replace Alonso with a single player, with internal options, with a platoon or with prayers.
So on the heels of Will Sammon’s reporting from Las Vegas on Monday, let’s examine the broader position player market — mainly first basemen, but also some names at second base, third base and DH — to fish for potential Alonso replacements.
Here’s how the Mets performed last season at those four key positions.
Pos
PA
HR
AVG
OBP
SLG
OPS
wRC+
WAR
BB%
K%
wRC+ Rank
WAR Rank
1B
713
38
0.268
0.342
0.518
0.860
138
3.4
8.6%
22.6%
2
6
2B
635
14
0.237
0.305
0.367
0.672
91
2.2
7.9%
18.9%
16
12
3B
655
28
0.236
0.297
0.420
0.717
101
2.7
7.6%
25.2%
11
11
DH
659
23
0.247
0.314
0.428
0.742
109
0.7
6.5%
23.5%
16
19
And here’s how the internal options mentioned in Will’s piece performed individually.
Player
Age
PA
HR
SB
AVG
OBP
SLG
OPS
wRC+
WAR
BB%
K%
Barrel%
xwOBA
Def
Off
32
1997
72
31
0.254
0.338
0.434
0.772
117
9.9
10.1%
22.3%
9.2%
0.339
-11.5
42.5
33
1582
34
18
0.253
0.326
0.389
0.715
102
5.8
7.8%
11.9%
2.9%
0.304
1.6
2.1
26
1150
53
2
0.242
0.295
0.444
0.738
105
2.5
6.3%
27.9%
12.3%
0.323
-17.2
2.9
25
992
31
10
0.234
0.297
0.373
0.670
89
2.3
7.9%
26.1%
9.5%
0.316
3
-14.2
The stats here and for the rest of the individual player charts are taken from 2023 to 2025 and courtesy of FanGraphs. The age is how old they will play in 2026.
If the Mets do go outside the organization, let’s break down the options, in free agency and via trade, into three tiers.
Tier 1: Alonso and Alonso-lites
Player
Age
PA
HR
SB
AVG
OBP
SLG
OPS
wRC+
WAR
BB%
K%
Barrel%
xwOBA
Def
Off
Status
$ Proj
32
1853
69
7
0.264
0.346
0.450
0.796
122
12.1
10.1%
13.1%
6.0%
0.338
15.4
40.4
FA
6Y/$171M
30
1781
73
42
0.281
0.338
0.477
0.815
123
11.4
8.0%
14.9%
6.7%
0.321
-2.2
53.6
FA
7Y/$182M
34
1991
101
8
0.238
0.313
0.462
0.775
115
11.1
8.3%
29.4%
12.9%
0.326
14.1
28.0
FA
3Y/$69M
27
1650
70
2
0.246
0.350
0.443
0.793
126
10.1
11.2%
17.3%
5.5%
0.314
-1.9
45.1
Arb 3 (S2)
$9.3M
34
1872
61
3
0.303
0.372
0.472
0.843
139
9.8
9.2%
15.0%
8.4%
0.361
-44.2
77.4
Contract
1Y/$12M
33
2136
141
15
0.228
0.358
0.508
0.866
135
9.1
15.9%
28.5%
17.7%
0.386
-63.6
81.2
FA
5Y/$145M
31
2062
118
8
0.244
0.332
0.496
0.827
128
8.4
9.5%
23.5%
15.7%
0.370
-44.7
58.6
FA
5Y/$140M
34
1416
55
15
0.261
0.358
0.459
0.817
129
8.2
9.9%
24.6%
12.6%
0.369
-11.2
44.2
Contract
2Y/$42M
29
1732
68
46
0.280
0.341
0.468
0.809
124
8.1
8.0%
14.8%
7.7%
0.339
-24.3
45.4
FA
4Y/$92M
29
1965
56
21
0.262
0.345
0.407
0.752
113
8.0
11.0%
17.0%
7.5%
0.346
-8.7
21.5
FA
3Y/$48M
26
1431
86
19
0.254
0.377
0.514
0.891
136
N/A
15.9%
34.8%
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
FA
8Y/$159M
30
1493
83
2
0.289
0.377
0.552
0.929
141
N/A
11.5%
18.7%
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
FA
4Y/$79M
*Names with asterisks represent left-handed hitters. Plus signs indicate switch hitters. The stats for Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto are from Nippon Professional Baseball. Players in orange would require a trade.
A lot of the guys on this list, you’ll notice, are not natural first basemen. And one of the takeaways from Will’s reporting was how creative the Mets could be in filling the holes at first base and DH. Notably, they could sign someone from a different spot — second base or third base — and move an incumbent over to first.
Alex Bregman is the name that jumps off the page, of course, though potential trade candidates Isaac Paredes, Yandy Díaz and Willson Contreras would also represent interesting fits as right-handed bats.
Tier 2: Rebuilding Alonso in the aggregate
Player
Age
PA
HR
SB
AVG
OBP
SLG
OPS
wRC+
WAR
BB%
K%
Barrel%
xwOBA
Def
Off
35
1872
100
1
0.272
0.361
0.506
0.867
137
9.1
12.0%
23.9%
14.6%
0.387
-47.8
74.6
FA
1Y/$14M
35
1853
86
15
0.248
0.321
0.461
0.782
112
8.1
8.5%
23.6%
12.4%
0.337
-7.8
24.2
Contract
2Y/$40M
29
1721
46
11
0.280
0.330
0.433
0.763
108
6.6
6.4%
15.2%
6.2%
0.339
-1.0
7.2
Arb 3
$10.3M
32
1406
46
11
0.277
0.343
0.445
0.788
121
6.1
8.5%
18.5%
8.0%
0.344
-20.5
33.3
FA
2Y/$36M
29
1964
22
23
0.319
0.355
0.416
0.771
114
5.4
4.7%
4.3%
2.0%
0.327
-44.3
31.7
FA
2Y/$30M
30
1898
51
4
0.252
0.344
0.400
0.743
111
5.4
11.9%
23.7%
6.4%
0.327
-25.3
14.3
Arb 3
$13.5M
38
1875
57
27
0.262
0.332
0.422
0.754
109
5.4
9.1%
23.1%
10.2%
0.345
-29.1
18.6
FA
1Y/$8M
28
907
49
9
0.231
0.345
0.493
0.838
133
5.0
10.8%
31.9%
16.1%
0.352
-16.6
34.6
Pre-arb
24
975
37
8
0.250
0.323
0.431
0.754
110
2.7
8.8%
24.3%
11.4%
0.340
-15.2
8.1
Pre-arb
29
1334
38
9
0.265
0.309
0.419
0.727
103
2.7
5.9%
23.9%
10.7%
0.338
-21.6
2.9
Arb 3
$7.8M
27
1488
47
17
0.271
0.321
0.428
0.749
109
2.2
6.5%
13.4%
7.4%
0.339
-38.2
9.2
Arb 1
$3.5M
29
1179
40
9
0.247
0.326
0.416
0.742
107
1.8
10.2%
24.0%
9.1%
0.328
-28.6
5.9
Arb 2
$4.7M
34
845
38
5
0.223
0.314
0.418
0.732
104
1.1
10.8%
28.4%
11.8%
0.309
-17.3
-0.4
FA
1Y/$10M
33
1753
63
0
0.245
0.323
0.413
0.736
104
0.4
9.8%
19.5%
9.8%
0.338
-48.7
-6.1
FA
1Y/$8M
29
746
57
1
0.309
0.373
0.623
0.996
168
N/A
8.8%
18.9%
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
FA
2Y/$16M
*The stats for Lewin Díaz are from the Korean Baseball Organization over 2024-2025. Díaz played in Triple A in 2023 and split 2024 between the Mexican League and the KBO. Players in orange would require a trade. Players in gray are potential non-tender candidates.
Off a subpar season, turning 35 next spring and due $40 million over the next two years, Christian Walker should be easy to snag in a trade. Walker has long been one of the game’s best defenders at first. Ryan O’Hearn is coming off the best year of his career.
Tyler Soderstrom and Alec Burleson had solid 2025 seasons and could be the long side of a platoon at first while swinging from the left side. Matt Wallner had a rougher 2025 but owns the highest OPS of any player mentioned in this story against right-handed pitching in the last three years. That’s despite the .195 batting average he posted against righties last season (and 30-plus percent strikeout rate he runs regardless of pitcher handedness).
Josh Bell was much better over the final four months of the season than the first two, although his offense has trended down for a few years. Lewin Díaz smashed 50 homers in the KBO last year and was an excellent defender at first during his previous stint in the majors with the Miami Marlins. Stearns has signed a first baseman out of the KBO before, Eric Thames.
Tier 3: Taking a leap of faith
Player
Age
PA
HR
SB
AVG
OBP
SLG
OPS
wRC+
WAR
BB%
K%
Barrel%
xwOBA
Def
Off
40
1687
57
17
0.234
0.319
0.397
0.716
100
4.7
10.8%
17.4%
6.4%
0.312
-8.5
-2.0
FA
30
1237
36
14
0.268
0.317
0.437
0.754
106
4.1
6.1%
24.8%
8.9%
0.305
-9.7
8.7
FA
35
759
21
12
0.268
0.360
0.427
0.787
119
2.8
11.2%
23.6%
8.5%
0.337
-13.9
15.3
FA
33
820
20
7
0.251
0.304
0.392
0.696
93
2.7
6.2%
19.3%
6.8%
0.308
7.3
-8.3
Arb 1
$1.8M
31
691
23
2
0.251
0.321
0.432
0.754
108
2.1
8.2%
27.9%
11.1%
0.322
-7.6
5.3
FA
38
1408
35
34
0.250
0.321
0.395
0.716
99
2.0
9.4%
21.7%
8.2%
0.336
-20.0
-6.8
FA
31
750
18
6
0.296
0.332
0.431
0.763
113
1.8
4.8%
13.9%
4.1%
0.297
-14.8
7.2
FA
34
1043
37
2
0.263
0.314
0.460
0.775
106
1.8
6.3%
19.5%
9.4%
0.338
-24.8
7.1
FA
35
1064
43
3
0.214
0.316
0.393
0.709
105
1.8
11.9%
27.7%
9.7%
0.316
-19.3
1.5
FA
33
1444
47
5
0.225
0.316
0.390
0.706
98
1.5
10.5%
23.9%
9.8%
0.341
-25.5
-8.1
FA
34
1159
43
1
0.250
0.319
0.417
0.736
105
1.4
8.2%
15.9%
6.2%
0.305
-24.1
-0.3
FA
31
1690
32
3
0.247
0.322
0.364
0.686
98
1.3
6.1%
18.6%
7.2%
0.328
-29.1
-15.0
FA
37
1040
21
47
0.262
0.321
0.373
0.694
97
1
6.3%
21.0%
6.8%
0.325
-25.1
-0.2
FA
30
836
31
24
0.209
0.307
0.388
0.695
95
0.6
11.7%
32.5%
13.9%
0.329
-17.1
-5.3
Arb 3
$2.0M
32
786
16
15
0.237
0.344
0.365
0.709
103
0.5
12.5%
22.6%
6.9%
0.316
-19.3
-2.4
FA
31
1084
43
2
0.230
0.290
0.402
0.691
90
-1.1
7.7%
23.8%
10.3%
0.314
-27.3
-19.9
FA
Players in gray are potential non-tender candidates.
These are other players who could ostensibly be part of a first base/DH solution but don’t make too much sense for a team seeking, perhaps desperately, to contend in 2026. Austin Hays, Yoán Moncada and Miguel Andújar had nice seasons this past year but have not been consistent over the last several years. Michael Conforto, Wilmer Flores and Starling Marte might be emphasizing the adjective rather than the noun when discussed as “old friends.”
