It may not be something long-time New York Mets fans want to hear, but they should replace Pete Alonso’s bat with Philadelphia Phillies great Kyle Schwarber. And a top MLB insider recently shed light on why the club should seriously consider it.
Alonso is one of the most beloved players on the Mets roster right now, and it is understandable why. He is a rarity in being a homegrown talent who has become a premier player in the game. Since being promoted in 2019, he has been an All-Star in all but two seasons during his seven-year career.
This season, he became the home run king for the franchise, and now sits third all-time in RBI’s. He is also a fun-loving guy and has always been very well-liked by his teammates. However, it can’t be overlooked that he has only been on two teams that have reached the playoffs, and he was one of the top stars on a team that had a historic collapse in September.
- Pete Alonso stats: .272 AVG, .347 OBP, .524 SLG, .871 OPS, 38 HR, 126 RBI, 87 R
It became clear late in the season that there was something the 2025 Mets seemed to lack in their locker room. Another leader who can rally the troops in tough times, while making his teammates better. Well, there is a player who could bring that to the clubhouse, while also putting up similar stats that will be available in MLB free agency this winter. And New York should target him as Alonso’s replacement.
Why the Mets should target Kyle Schwarber in MLB free agency
Mets fans were under the assumption that captain Francisco Lindor was the undisputed leader of the locker room. However, during the 2025 season, Juan Soto surprisingly suggested that veteran outfielder Starling Marte was the real leader in the clubhouse. Marte is unlikely to be back in 2026, and Soto and Alonso won’t fill that void, or they would have last year during dark times as two of the biggest stars on the roster.
Lindor and manager Carlos Mendoza — who is in a very hot seat — need help. MVP candidate Kyle Schwarber can perfectly fill that void, and MLB insider Jim Bowden recently shed light on the unique intangible the slugger has when explaining his huge value to the Phillies.
- Kyle Schwarber stats: .240 AVG, .365 OBP, .563 SLG, .928 OPS, 56 HR, 132 RBI, 111 R
“On a scouting scale of 20 to 80, Kyle Schwarber is an 80 teammate,” Bowden said recently on the Foul Territory Show. “I think he makes everyone around him better. He makes rookies better, veteran players better, managers better, everything he does — those intangibles — is why he is second on [his top 50 free agents list]. I think every team in baseball should get Kyle Schwarber to be their guy.”
Everything Bowden explained is what New York needs. They have a bunch of young players who need to get better. They have veterans who have to play up to their contracts. And they have a manager, only in his third year in a top job, who needs help. Schwarber can make a serious short and long-term impact on the franchise.
Why Schwarber over Alonso also makes sense contractually
The biggest knock on Schwarber compared to Alonso is that he will be two years older (33 to 31) at the start of the 2026 season. But he is a designated hitter, and the last two decades have shown that an elite DH can still be a high-impact player late into their 30s.
Alonso is not an above-average first baseman and is headed to becoming a DH as well. So eventually they will be playing the same position in this next contract, and put up similar stats. Furthermore, early projections point to both likely earning around $30 to $32 million annually in their next deal.
However, Schwarber seems to bring something to the table that Alonso does not. And for a franchise looking to win a championship soon, the one-time World Series winner and player who has been to a pair of championship series in his career, he can get them there more than Alonso.
