If Pete Alonso doesn't stay with the New York Mets in free agency, at least one person in MLB thinks he could remain in the National League East.

In a survey of team executives and MLB insiders by ESPN's Jesse Rogers, one responder offered the Washington Nationals as a landing spot for Alonso.

"He signs with Washington as a vibes/power guy similar to when they signed Jayson Werth before 2011, before their team was fully formed," the voter said.

Alonso's free agency figures to be one of the most fascinating storylines of the offseason. There was a time when it seemed like he would have been the most sought-after player behind Juan Soto.

As his production has decreased over the past two years, Alonso's market is much harder to pin down.

The Mets' interest in bringing Alonso back might depend on how their pursuit of Soto plays out.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Mets owner Steve Cohen and other high-ranking team officials had a "very detailed" meeting with Soto in California on Saturday that is said to have gone "extremely well."

Given how much money Cohen has, even relative to other MLB owners, he could easily afford to sign Soto and Alonso if he wanted to try building a superteam. But that was a strategy he tried to employ two years ago that blew up in his face.

The Nationals are something of a sleeping giant in free agency this offseason. There have been rumblings they could try to get in the Soto sweepstakes two years after trading him to the San Diego Padres, but there is no indication at this point they are going to meet with the four-time All-Star.

Alonso would fill a huge void in Washington's lineup. Nationals first basemen hit .241/.310/.376 with 14 homers and ranked 23rd out of 30 teams in FanGraphs' wins above replacement (0.3).

The 29-year-old Alonso hit .240/.329/.459 with 34 homers and 88 RBI in 162 games last season. His OPS has decreased by 81 points over the past three seasons, with his .788 mark in 2024 being the lowest of his career.

Washington is a team that seems ready to make a big splash after several rebuilding years since winning the 2019 World Series. There is a nucleus of exciting young talent in place, led by James Wood, CJ Abrams and Dylan Crews.

The comparison used by the voter to Rogers of Werth is appropriate. It was considered an overpay at the time when he signed a seven-year, $126 million deal with the Nationals in December 2010.

Even though Werth's overall production wound up not living up to that contract, it gave the Nationals an aura of credibility while they were on the rise when prospects like Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Jordan Zimmermann and Anthony Rendon were just getting acclimated to the big leagues.