It’s time to look at how the first base position shapes up for the NL East teams, now that the Mets actually have a first baseman.

With Pete Alonso’s recent signing in mind, here’s how the division’s five starting first basemen rank going into the 2025 season.

No. 5 Jonah Bride, MIA

Bride ranks last on this list despite a solid showing in 2024 — albeit in a fairly small sample. The 29-year-old hit .276/.357/.461 in 71 games last season. That was good for a 123 wRC+. Before that, he’d struggled over parts of two seasons with the Athletics.

It’s worth noting that the Marlins also made a trade this offseason for Matt Mervis, a former top-100 prospect on the Cubs. Mervis has batted just .155 with a 34 wRC+ over 127 big-league plate appearances. Barring a drastic breakout from Mervis and/or a severe regression from Bride, the starting spot should be pretty much a lock.

It’s hard to know exactly what to expect from somebody with such limited major league playing time. When combining his struggles with Oakland and his success with Miami, Bride’s wRC+ is 91 over 169 games.

ZiPS projects Bride to post a 94 wRC+ in 112 games this year.

No. 4 Nathaniel Lowe, WSH

Lowe is only narrowly behind Alonso for the No. 3 spot. He offers a different skill set: better on-base ability with less power.

In 2024, Lowe batted .265 with a .361 OBP, good for a 121 wRC+. He’s been remarkably consistent, with his OBP marks coming in at .357, .358, .360 and .361 over the last four years. He peaked at a 143 wRC+ in 2022. A case could be made to put him ahead of Alonso.

His isolated power, though, was the worst of his career last season at .136. He’s only eclipsed 20 home runs once. His relatively minimal power for the first base position sets him back a little bit.

Lowe falling this low on the list indicates a strong group of first basemen in the division, however. He’s a well-above-average hitter with a walk rate over 11% who’s averaged about 3.0 fWAR over the last three seasons.

The Nationals acquired him from the Rangers in a trade this offseason. Washington will be his third major league team.

No. 3 Pete Alonso, NYM

Alonso, fresh off signing with the Mets, slides right into the middle of the ranking.

Each of Alonso’s last two seasons before hitting free agency could be described as underwhelming. Still, he put up a respectable wRC+ of slightly more than 120 in each one.

Last year, he accumulated only 2.1 fWAR, in large part due to his defensive value (or lack thereof). That was the lowest total for a full season in his career.

Alonso and Lowe’s wRC+ marks — both last year and for their careers — are very similar, despite the differing offensive profiles. Lowe has both a higher average and OBP, but Alonso easily clears him in slugging and home runs. Lowe was technically more valuable last year, but only marginally with a 2.8 fWAR. Alonso’s career wRC+ is slightly higher, at 131 compared to 122. Their peaks are similar, at 144 and 143. Alonso is a year older — 30 compared to 29.

Again, a case could be made to put Lowe ahead of Alonso. But for the purposes of this list, the power Alonso possesses gives him a slight advantage. By fWAR over the last two seasons, Alonso has been slightly more valuable at 5.5 compared to 4.9, though that’s splitting hairs at this point. It’s important just to remember the context of what each of them provides, as their strengths and weaknesses are in contrast with one another.

No. 2 Matt Olson, ATL

Alonso was a slightly better hitter than Olson in 2024. But Olson had such a huge year in 2023 that he’s still likely to be the better player in 2025. He also has better defensive metrics.

Olson was a monster two years ago, exploding for a 161 wRC+ and 6.5 fWAR. He slammed 54 home runs. He took a big step down last year, hitting only 29 home runs and posting a 117 wRC+. His fWAR was 2.6, right around Alonso and Lowe’s range.

Still, neither Alonso nor Lowe have ever had the type of campaign Olson put up in 2023. Even the “bad” version of Olson is still comparable to Alonso and Lowe, if not a tick better. Olson is 30, the same age as Alonso, so he shouldn’t be too deep in his late-career decline just yet.

Olson has also been extremely durable, playing all 162 games in each of his three seasons for Atlanta so far.

No. 1 Bryce Harper, PHI

While this ranking has had fairly close margins so far, the top spot is a no-brainer.

This past season was Harper’s first playing first base full-time. The former star outfielder, who’s now 32, underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023, but has settled in quickly to his new, relatively less stressful position.

Harper, once a young prodigy for the Nationals, is still a fantastic hitter. He’ll be entering his seventh season with the Phillies — the same amount of years he spent with Washington. He hit for a 145 wRC+ last year and has a 142 mark for his career. He put up a 170 wRC+ as recently as 2022. He posted 5.2 fWAR last season and has been worth 18 fWAR over the last four years.

Harper has been an NL East nemesis for many years, so not much has changed in that respect. And Alonso, all too familiar for the Mets, is back for at least one more year in Queens.

So let the battles begin.