Ball Joint

You'll need an alignment either way. Changing the ball joint will potentially foul your alignment just like changing the control arm.

Check around....some tire shops offer 'free' alignment inspections. It's a lucrative business....especially in snow country. They do this because they know they will find suspension issues most of the time(usually tie rods) that need correction before the alignment can be done and they can do the work on the spot, and then do an alignment for $. If you've done good replacement work on your truck, you may not need a two wheel alignment.

Anytime you do anything to your suspension it's always good practice to get an alignment. A little bit of money then can save a problem down the road.

Is a $1000 set of tires worth risking to avoid a $100 alignment?

I guess I'll just save the aggravation of pressing out the ball joint and just replace the whole A-arm. Thanks for all the advise.

eh i doubt you'll need an alignment. OEM and MOOG uppers aren't adjustable, they are both built with stock specs, so unless your OEM ball joint is so destroyed that nothing is staying tight then i doubt it, but i agree, it is not really worth the risk. unless you just have to get some new tires and need an excuse lol.