Former Gator Pete Alonso Makes UF History with New MLB Contract

Former Florida Gators star Pete Alonso is on the move, signing a five-year, $155 million contract out of free agency with the Baltimore Orioles after a seven-year stint with the New York Mets.

Alonso's contract, which was signed on Thursday, is officially the largest MLB contract by a former Gator and the second-largest pro sports contract by a former Gator. The deal also gives him the highest average annual value by any former SEC player (second-most among MLB first basemen).

Pete Alon$o to Birdland 💰🐦 pic.twitter.com/bgKZGg5hEY
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) December 12, 2025

Alonso's contract is no surprise after being one the headlining free agents this offseason after a stellar career with the Mets. Across seven seasons, Alonso was named to the NL All-Star Team five teams, was the NL Rookie of the Year (2019), Silver Slugger Award winner (2025) and MLB home run leader with 53 in 2019.

Last August, Alonso hit home runs No. 253 and No. 254 with the Mets in a win over the Braves, making him the Mets' all-time home run leader. He finishes his tenure with New York with 264 home runs, 712 runs batted in and a .253 batting average.

Before his career in professional baseball, Alonso became one of the greatest players to play for the Gators in a three-year career, headlined by a strong junior campaign.

In 2016, he hit 14 home runs with 60 RBIs while batting .374, hitting more home runs than the previous two seasons combined and improving his RBI total and batting average from the previous two seasons.

That 2016 season also saw him be named a Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalist while being the NCAA Gainesville Regional Most Outstanding Player. He was also named First-Team All-American by D1Baseball, NCBWA and Perfect Game/Rawlings, Second-Team All-American by ABCA/Rawlings and Third-Team All-American by Baseball America.

He was taken in the Second Round with the 64th overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft by the Mets.

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