Reds miss another big bat as Pete Alonso proves their limits are still obvious

The Cincinnati Reds just got reminded, loudly, what the big-boy table looks like. Kyle Schwarber went back to Philadelphia on a five-year, $150 million deal, and Cincinnati’s best offer — reportedly five years and $125 million — ended up as a very respectable “thanks for playing.”

That’s the Reds’ reality in one painful snapshot: they can stretch for a star, but they’re never going to be the team that simply out-muscles the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, or New York Mets when the bidding hits that next tier. If they want a middle-of-the-order monster, they’re either getting in early… or they’re shopping in a very specific corner of the market.

And like it or not, that might just be where a name like Pete Alonso starts to sneak onto the whiteboard. Unfortunately for the Reds, the Baltimore Orioles — who don't typically have a very robust payroll — just signed Alonso to a five-year, $155 million deal.

The Reds missed out on both Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso

On paper, Alonso didn't feel like a “Reds actually sign this guy” outcome. He’s a marquee power bat, coming off a 2025 season where he put up 3.4 WAR with 38 home runs, 126 RBI, and a .272/.347/.524 slash line — good for a 144 OPS+. That’s not a buy-low profile; that’s a guy who’s supposed to spark a bidding war, and that's exactly what happened after Schwarber signed with the Phillies.

According to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, New York was hesitant to go beyond three years for Alonso. That’s the kind of line in the sand that can turn a straightforward reunion into an actual opportunity for someone else — and it did.

If the Mets were stuck at three, and other front offices are talking themselves in circles about paying a power-only first baseman into his mid-30s, suddenly it wasn't insane to imagine the Reds hanging around the edges of this thing.

Remember, Cincinnati was willing to go to five years and $125 million for Schwarber — a 32-year-old slugger with defensive questions of his own. If you were willing to pay that for Schwarber’s bat in left field (or DH-only), how far off is a similar structure for Alonso at first, where he’s at least playable defensively and fits right into Great American Ball Park’s “who wants to hit 45?” energy?

The risks were obvious. Alonso is entering his age-31 season. The back end of any deal could get messy. And paying big money at first base is the kind of move that can backfire fast.

But this is the lane the Reds have chosen. They’re not outbidding superpowers. They’re hunting for the moment when a star’s market gets just uncomfortable enough that someone blinks.

Alonso’s free agency became exactly the kind of long shot the Reds should've at least been game-planning for. Improbable, sure, but now it's impossible.