First, Alonso has an ability the Yankees often desperately need: availability. He’s played 152+ games in five of his six MLB seasons. Conversely, New York sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are known for being injury prone.
Discounting his 2016 cup of coffee in the Bronx, Judge has played just four full seasons in eight years. And in seven years with the Yankees, Stanton has played just one complete season.
Based on their track record, there’s a good chance Judge or Stanton misses significant time each year. And that’s in addition to any other regulars who miss time.
Alonso is also trending in the right direction in terms of batting average. A consistent .260–.270 hitter his first few seasons, he lost his ability to get base hits in 2023, hitting a limp .217. His average climbed back to .240 in 2024, and there’s no reason to think he can’t get back into the .260s in the next few years.
Plus, Alonso would provide the Yankees with extra power. He crushed a record 53 homers as a rookie in 2019, the year of the juiced ball (see Gleyber Torres’ 38 long balls that season), and then proved it wasn’t an aberration by putting up 37, 40 and 46 dingers in his next three full seasons. His total round trippers dropped to 34 in 2024, but, again, there’s no reason to think he can’t get back to blasting 40-plus annually.
Now, Alonso isn’t perfect. He strikes out too much (average of 157 over 162 games) and grounds into a fair amount of double plays (average of 16 over 162 games). Also, he’s a right-handed hitter who pulls most of his HRs and would be playing in a stadium built for left-handed power.
However, he’s still worth the gamble. Here’s why: If Alonso can turn his performance up just a notch and help lead the Yankees to a World Series victory before the Mets can get a championship, the Yankees will have gotten revenge for their crosstown rivals’ theft of Soto.
And if not, well, at least the Yankees tried. That’s about all Bombers fans can hope for at this point.
