David Ortiz pushes for Red Sox to sign $210M 5-time All-Star over Phillies' Kyle Schwarber

Hunter Cookston

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David Ortiz pushes for Red Sox to sign $210M 5-time All-Star over Phillies' Kyle Schwarber image

The Boston Red Sox had an interesting season last year. It all started with the Rafael Devers drama, and once he was traded, the team was able to focus fully on baseball again. Even though Devers didn’t want to be just a DH, he was putting up strong numbers before the trade.

“It took Devers a while to settle into DH duties, but lately, he's been thriving. He's coming off a nine-game stretch with an OPS over 1.200, but now, his position has once again become a topic of conversation,” SI’s Jackson Roberts wrote.

In an interview on the ITM Podcast, Hall of Famer David Ortiz made it clear he hopes the Red Sox sign Pete Alonso over Kyle Schwarber as the team’s next DH.

“Either way you can be satisfied," Ortiz told Joey Copponi and Scott Neville on the "ITM Podcast" on Friday. "You're talking about two monsters. But if I had to pick one, because I have Roman Anthony as a left-handed batter, I would go with a right-handed bat. There are a lot of left-handed power pitchers coming out of the bullpen. Which with these guys, they don't really care. But you know (opponents) are going to be doing the match-ups. When you have two lefties, one behind the other. I think we've loaded up really well with lefties. One right-handed power hitter to take advantage of the monster, it'll be a plus.”

While Alonso has spent his entire career with the New York Mets, his comments during the season suggest he isn’t necessarily thinking about leaving.

“But again, we'll see what happens. I love it, it's great, but you can't really predict anything. And for me... I am focused on trying to put this thing across the finish line. I haven't really thought about the free agent thing until we're talking about it right now,” Alonso said. “It would be great to stay. But, again, whatever happens, happens. I can't get a crystal ball. I wish I could, but we'll see.”

Adding Alonso to the Red Sox would give the team another powerful bat and make the lineup even deeper. The first baseman is likely to command a significant contract, even if it’s just to serve as the DH.

It would be an intriguing move for Boston and one that could strengthen the team significantly. The Red Sox are aiming to make noise in 2026, and signing Alonso would certainly help them do that.

As part of his fundraising efforts, Ortiz is holding a silent auction loaded with priceless items that will be live until Saturday, Nov. 15 at 9:30 p.m. ET. You can also donate to the cause on the David Ortiz Children's Fund's website.

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Contributing writer

Contributing Writer