The Boston Red Sox lost Alex Bregman in free agency, but managed to secure a powerful bat in Willson Contreras. However, Contreras wasn’t the only big-name slugger on their radar this offseason. Reports indicated they pushed for Pete Alonso, who landed with the Baltimore Orioles on a hefty five-year, $155 million deal. Boston reportedly offered fewer years and significantly less money. Ouch, right?
The Risky Business of Big-Money Age Guesses
It is clear why the Red Sox felt hesitant to drop that much cash on Alonso. Their big concern? Committing huge money to a 31-year-old. They reportedly feared his legendary power numbers would decline and that he simply wouldn’t maintain hitting for a high average as he got older. Fast forward to now, and you have to wonder if those worries were misguided. Contreras, on the other hand, came over from the St. Louis Cardinals for nearly $5 million less than Alonso’s yearly take. Sure, Contreras is actually older than Alonso, but the Red Sox secured him with three seasons of club control. That’s a huge factor when you are weighing immediate impact versus future stability. Did Boston prioritize control over pure power, or did they simply misjudge the market for a slugger of Alonso’s caliber?
Contreras’s Monster Year vs. Alonso’s Steady Power
Look, on paper, this year, Contreras has absolutely crushed it. He is having a career year, period. We are talking higher bWAR, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. The dude is putting up numbers across the board! Alonso does have three more homers, which is no joke, but he has also played in 15 more games. That extra playing time helps rack up the long balls. It is not like Alonso has had a bad year, not by any stretch of the imagination. He is hitting a very respectable .267, which is honestly not far off from his career high. Plus, he has played in every single game, maintaining those strong home run numbers even in a venue that is notoriously difficult for right-handed hitters to go deep. So, while Contreras is hot right now, the Red Sox’s worry about Alonso’s aging seems, in hindsight, potentially wrong. He is still a powerhouse, plain and simple.
The Intangible Spark That Makes All the Difference
Beyond the raw stats, there’s another piece to this puzzle. What the Red Sox definitely got in Contreras that they might not have found in Alonso is that undeniable, fiery competitor and true leader in the clubhouse. The team desperately needed a personality like that to inject some life and grit. Honestly, it is hard to imagine them salvaging their season without Contreras’s leadership. As the AL East standings get tighter and the division is on the verge of making history if the season ended today, that kind of drive and competitive fire from Contreras might just be the secret sauce for the Red Sox.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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