This story originally appeared in the Globe’s Sunday Baseball Notes. Read the rest here.
It’s fair to believe the Red Sox should have outbid the Orioles for Pete Alonso. The Sox have said they want more power in the lineup and Alonso certainly provides that.
But it should give angry Sox fans some pause that the Mets, who know Alonso best, didn’t make the first baseman an offer.
President of baseball operations David Stearns allowed Alonso to walk because he wants to build a better defensive team after the Mets finished 83-79 last season and missed the playoffs. Stearns also was hesitant about committing $150 million to Alonso, who is 31, believing what the data tells him about a player’s worth as he ages and not letting emotion get in the way of tough decisions.
Stearns put together six playoff teams from 2018-24 with the Brewers and Mets, so there’s something to be said for his approach. Craig Breslow operates in a similar manner, using statistical models to guide decisions.
“When players reach free agency, you’ve got a body of work that you can evaluate, and you’ve got a pretty good understanding of what that player might be over the next four, five, six, seven years,” the Red Sox’ chief baseball officer said.
Baltimore general manager Mike Elias was in a different position. He’s working for an owner who didn’t hire him and in charge of a team that lost 87 games last season and was 10th in the American League in attendance. He needed to take a big swing.
Now Elias is a hero as Breslow and Stearns are getting roasted. But the goal is to play in October, not generate positive headlines in December. The real story will be what the Mets and Sox do instead of signing Alonso.
A few other observations on the Red Sox:
▪ He would have been a great fit back at Fenway Park, but Kyle Schwarber was never going anywhere but back to Philadelphia.
Schwarber had the four best seasons of his career with the Phillies and knows it’s an organization determined to win. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski made it clear he wanted to bring the designated hitter back and he doesn’t miss his targets.
Schwarber met with Dombrowski in person after the season. Then owner John Middleton went to visit Schwarber and his family at their home and made it clear he was a priority.
“We were able to spend a really good amount of time just sitting down talking about the Phillies, talking about his family, and talking about what’s the future looking like for us here,“ Schwarber said. ”Those were conversations I never forgot.”
That’s how a deal gets done.
The mistake the Sox made was after the 2021 season when they didn’t try to retain Schwarber after he hit .291 with a .957 OPS over 41 games and help lead the Sox to the ALCS. He instead signed with the Phillies for four years and $79 million.
As Red Sox manager Alex Cora said last week, Schwarber was a perfect fit for that group of players, the fan base, and the community.
It would not have been easy. But the Sox could have moved J.D. Martinez (who had one year and $19.3 million remaining on his contract) and kept Schwarber as a DH.
▪ Count me as surprised that it seems unlikely Rob Refsnyder will return to the Red Sox.
The outfielder has an .804 OPS over 309 games in four seasons with the Sox and has crushed lefties to a tune of .312/.407/.516 in 501 plate appearances. That for a total cost of $5.5 million.
Refsnyder also is a strong clubhouse presence and is the chief Jarren Duran whisperer of the group. The Sox also need righthanded hitters.
▪ Cora said the plan was to use Kristian Campbell as a DH and outfielder for the 15-20 games he will play in Puerto Rico. If the Sox are moving forward with Campbell as an outfielder, it seems almost certain one of the others will be traded.
▪ Marcelo Mayer wants to play for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. His parents were born in Mexico and his father, Enrique, would love for his son to play for the national team.
“His father contacted me before the [2023] tournament and told me about Marcelo and that he would be part of Mexico’s baseball future,” Mexico manager Benji Gil said. “He’s a good player. Great kid.”
But with Mayer coming off wrist surgery, it’s more likely he will remain with the Red Sox in spring training.
“We’d love to have him with us,” Gil said. “If that doesn’t happen, it’s understandable.”
▪ Pirates manager Don Kelly on new Sox righthander Johan Oviedo: “What he went through last year, Tommy John, and the way he was able to come back and the competitor he is, it stinks losing a guy like that.”
Oviedo came back from his surgery with a better fastball that played higher in the strike zone. Opponents hit .275 with a .465 slugging percentage off his fastball in 2023. That fell to .149 with a .383 slugging percentage in 2025.
It was only 236 fastballs over nine games, but it’s something the Sox can work with to make his full repertoire better.
“The extension and the way that the fastball played was a little bit different,” Kelly said. “I know our guys worked hard on it with him to continue to adjust some things, and he did a great job of being able to make the adjustments.”
Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social.