Earlier on Sunday, Metsmerized published an article illustrating how several of free agent first baseman, Pete Alonso’s, potential landing spots have addressed their first base needs elsewhere. Another potential suitor for Alonso has reportedly found an answer at first as well, as according to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Washington Nationals have acquired first baseman Nathaniel Lowe from the Texas Rangers.
Lowe, 29 years old, has been very productive since 2021, posting four-straight seasons of at least 2.3 wins above replacement (WAR). He had a .762 OPS in 2024 and has posted an OPS+ above 112 in each of the last four seasons. Lowe has always graded out extremely well defensively at first base, posting outs above average (OAA) ratings above the league’s 89th percentile in back-to-back season. He’s the definition of consistency and is under team control through 2026.
The return for Lowe, which has been confirmed by Jeff Passan of ESPN, is right-handed reliever Robert Garcia. Garcia had a 4.22 ERA across 59 2/3 innings for the Nationals in 2024. The 28-year-old had an extremely deceiving seasons as his underlying metrics paint a much better pitcher (97th percentile xERA; 88th percentile xBA). Garcia is under team control through 2029.
With the trade, it appears the Rangers may move forward with the newly acquired Jake Burger at first base. There is also a scenario where the Rangers may opt to keep the defensively-handicapped Burger at designated hitter and dip into the first base market themselves. In a deal where the team shaved payroll, would the Rangers want to add more in the form of a player (Alonso) that’s only slightly better than what they already had?
Regardless, it continues to appear as if the Mets are one of the few landings spots for Alonso that still makes sense. The New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, and now, Washington Nationals, have all filled their need at first base. Is the writing on the wall for Alonso to return to Queens in the near future?
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