Could the New York Yankees eventually land one of the top sluggers in baseball?

New York is in an interesting spot. The Yankees are going all in on the 2024 campaign but could look very different in 2025. New York currently has superstar slugger Juan Soto but he will be a free agent at the end of the 2024 season and it’s unclear if he will return.

If he doesn’t return to the Yankees, one player who has been mentioned as a possible free agent option is New York Mets superstar Pete Alonso by Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer.

“Should (Anthony Rizzo’s) troubles persist into 2024, the odds of his $17 million option for 2025 getting picked up would be slim,” Rymer said. “Turning that option down would create a space for Alonso, whose hypothetical appeal to the Yankees would be twofold. One, there’s no question he can thrive in New York. And two, having him and Aaron Judge would mean having the two best righty sluggers in the same lineup.

“But since Rizzo is purportedly healthy again, he may yet prove worthy of having his option exercised. And even if the Yankees eventually decline it, one would have to think that their primary target in free agency won’t be Alonso, but rather Juan Soto.”

Rymer compiled a list of the most likely hypothetical landing spots for Alonso in free agency next offseason. New York could make a lot of sense if Soto signs elsewhere.

The Yankees would have plenty of money to spend if Soto signs with someone else and pairing Alonso with Aaron Judge would form arguably the top one-two slugger combination in baseball.