The Chicago Cubs lineup has some decent things going for it, but it’s missing one crucial element.
Like it or not, Major League Baseball is about power these days, and the Cubs simply didn’t drive the ball out of the park frequently enough in 2024. Chicago tied for 20th in MLB with just 170 home runs, and Ian Happ led the team with only 25.
The Cubs have playoff aspirations in 2025, especially after falling just short with identical 83-79 records in each of the last two seasons. If they want to get there, they need to find a true power hitter to anchor their lineup, and free agency could be the place they get that job done.
Enter Pete Alonso of the New York Mets, who has been one of the game’s very best power hitters since he entered the league. Alonso instantly set a new rookie record with 53 home runs in his 2019 rookie campaign and has kept hitting the longball ever since.
Zach Pressnell of FanSided recently predicted that Alonso would sign with the Cubs to help create Chicago’s “dream lineup” this winter.
“Some argue that the Cubs don’t need a first baseman as they have Michael Busch and Isaac Paredes at first and third base. But it’s Pete Alonso. He’s the kind of talent that you sign if you can no matter who you have at first base,” Pressnell said.
“Alonso was a trade target for Chicago throughout the 2024 season, but the New York Mets held onto him. Now that he’s a free agent, the Cubs have their chance to throw him a massive contract to bring his slugging to Wrigley Field for the next five or six seasons.”
Alonso, who turns 30 in December, has 226 home runs since the start of the 2019 season, second in all of baseball behind the incomparable Aaron Judge. He’s made four All-Star teams, has three 100-RBI seasons, and even plays solid defense at first base.
Tim Britton of The Athletic currently projects Alonso for a five-year, $130 million contract, which is a shockingly affordable number for someone with 40-homer power, even if it doesn’t age well.
If that’s all it costs for the Cubs to land their best pure power hitter since Sammy Sosa, they shouldn’t think twice about it.
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