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MLB World Shocked by Pete Alonso’s Huge Deal With Orioles

Alonso is leaving the Mets after seven seasons, signing a five-year deal with Baltimore.

Ryan Phillips

Pete Alonso has left the New York Mets, signing a massive five-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles.
Pete Alonso has left the New York Mets, signing a massive five-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles. / David Banks-Imagn Images
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Pete Alonso has left Queens.

On Wednesday, the 31-year-old slugger agreed to a five-year, $155 million deal with the Orioles, ending his time with the Mets, who selected him with the 64th pick in the 2016 MLB draft.

Alonso played seven seasons in New York, and in that time, he made five All-Star teams and set the franchise record for home runs (264). The hulking first baseman also became a fan favorite, earning the nickname “Polar Bear” and entrenched himself as the face of the franchise.

Now he’s headed to Baltimore to join a loaded lineup that will be among the best in baseball on paper. The move is fairly shocking, as most believed the Mets and Alonso would reach a deal. But after a bruising contract fight with the team last offseason, the relationship may have been damaged.

After a lengthy negotiation, Alonso agreed to a two-year, $54 million deal with an opt-out after 2025. He exercised that option in October and went in search of a longer, more lucrative deal. It didn’t take long to find it.

Mets fans and the baseball world reacted to the shocking news on social media. We’ve put some of the best reactions below.

Pete Alonso’s career numbers

Alonso was in a much better negotiating position this offseason after putting up excellent numbers in 2025. He slashed .272/.347/.524, with 38 home runs and 126 RBIs. His wRC+ of 141 approached a career-high, and he produced 3.6 fWAR. His OPS (.871) represented almost a 100-point jump from 2024 (.788). He won his first Silver Slugger thanks to his bounce back campaign.

While he’s a subpar defender at first base, Alonso’s bat has never been in question. He carries a career wRC+ of 132 and has been above 120 in each of his seven MLB seasons. He boasts a career slash line of .253/.341/.516, with 264 home runs, and 712 RBIs. The 2024 campaign was the only time his OPS dipped below .800 for a full seasons.

Alonso is also remarkably durable. He has never missed more than 10 games in a season and has played in 1,008 of a possible 1,032 games during his seven-year career. He has played in all 162 games in each of the past two seasons.

The Orioles are adding a durable, consistent slugger to what was already a loaded lineup. It’s also worth noting that if you overlay Alonso’s hitting performance from 2025 at Camden Yards, his home run total would jump.

Expect big things in the short term.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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