What the Baltimore Orioles are getting in Pete Alonso

The Baltimore Orioles made a rare big splash in free agency on Wednesday when they landed first baseman Pete Alonso on a five-year, $155 million deal.

Alonso joins a stacked position player group in Baltimore that already featured Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser, Jordan Westburg and others.

Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias put his money where his mouth is by netting a big bat in Alonso. And there is now less pressure on some of the younger position players in the Orioles' lineup with the addition of the well-established Alonso.

Alonso, 31, is one of the best right-handed hitters and power sluggers in the game of baseball. He is also highly durable, playing in all 162 games in back-to-back seasons with the Mets. Alonso has played in at least 152 games in every full campaign of his seven-year major league career, excluding the Covid-shortened year in 2020.

The Orioles are not only getting someone who posts every day, but a big bopper that has hit 264 home runs since making his MLB debut in 2019 (fourth most in the majors). Alonso is the Mets' all-time leader in home runs, a feat achieved during the 2025 season.

New York Mets, Pete Alonso — Sep 27, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) watches his solo home run against the Miami Marlins in the third inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Mets weren't comfortable giving Alonso a long-term deal or the type of money that Baltimore dished out to the Polar Bear. There were concerns on how Alonso might age across a long contract and projections say he will wind up a DH.

However, the Orioles seemingly didn't care about said concerns and now have added major star power to the middle of their order. The AL East rival Boston Red Sox were also in on Alonso, which makes this an even better move for the Orioles.

It's also a positive that Alonso proved he could cut it in the biggest market in the world in New York. That's not an easy task and Alonso emerged as a franchise cornerstone for the Mets from 2019-2025. Fans are heart broken that he won't finish his career in Queens.

The Orioles offered DH and NL MVP runner-up Kyle Schwarber a five-year, $150 million contract, but he chose to return to the Philadelphia Phillies on the same deal. Elias and the Orioles proved they weren't messing around with their offer to Schwarber and quickly pivoted to Alonso to get their guy on offense.

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