Orioles, Pete Alonso agree to 5-year, $155M deal in winter meetings splash

ORLANDO, Fla. — In one of the most significant moves in franchise history, the Baltimore Orioles landed the big bat they’ve been chasing.

Baltimore reached an agreement with first baseman Pete Alonso on a five-year, $155 million free agent contract at MLB’s winter meetings Wednesday, a source with direct knowledge of the move confirmed to The Baltimore Sun. The deal is the second-largest financial commitment the Orioles have ever made to a player, behind only Chris Davis’ seven-year, $161 million deal in 2016.

The Orioles have yet to announce the deal.

Alonso, 31, has spent all seven years of his MLB career with the New York Mets, hitting 264 home runs — a franchise record. The five-time All-Star, two-time Home Run Derby champion and 2019 National League Rookie of the Year Award winner will be relied on as a veteran clubhouse presence and an immediate power threat in the heart of the Orioles’ lineup.

Last season, Alonso hit .272 with 38 home runs, 126 RBIs and a career-high 41 doubles while playing all 162 games for the second straight year. He carries a lifetime slash line of .253/.341/. 516 and has posted five seasons with at least 37 home runs. Nobody on the Orioles’ current roster has ever hit more than 37 in a single season.

Alonso’s deal, which was first reported by ESPN, includes a partial no-trade clause, the source said. Alonso had the option to take a six-year offer with a lower annual average value but higher total, the source also said. He instead chose to take the five-year deal at $31 million per season — the largest for a first baseman in MLB history.

The Orioles met with Alonso, a Tampa, Fla., native, on Tuesday at the winter meetings on the same day mega-agent Scott Boras, who represents the “Polar Bear,” said that he and Elias were in “regular communication” about free agents.

That annual average value is $1 million more than designated hitter Kyle Schwarber received Tuesday from the Philadelphia Phillies in his five-year, $150 million contract. The Orioles reportedly offered that same contract to Schwarber, according to The Athletic, but he instead chose to remain in Philadelphia.

In 2023, Alonso reportedly turned down a seven-year, $158 million offer from the Mets. With his deal with the Orioles, in addition to what he made the past two seasons, Alonso will earn $205 million over that same seven-year period.

For the Orioles, it is the largest average annual value they’ve ever given to a player. In 2022, the Orioles’ payroll was a puny $43 million under then-Chairman and CEO John Angelos. Now, they’ve handed out $31 million to one player under David Rubenstein in the private equity billionaire’s second offseason as owner.

The Orioles are coming off a 75-87 season in which they were 24th in runs scored and tied for 11th in home runs. Offense had been the backbone of their success in 2023 and 2024 when they secured consecutive postseason berths, but regression from several of their young hitters in 2025 cast doubt over the unit’s upside potential.

Having already traded for outfielder Taylor Ward last month, president of baseball operations Mike Elias made what is now one of the signature moves of his tenure to further shore up the middle of Baltimore’s lineup. Last year, the Orioles struggled mightily against left-handed pitching with a .661 OPS that ranked 22nd in MLB. With Ward and O’Neill, two righty sluggers with impressive numbers versus southpaws, the Orioles had turned one of their biggest weaknesses into a strength.

Elias said Monday from the Orioles’ suite at the Waldorf Astoria hotel that he was“talking to a whole bunch of hitters.” The one he got is among the most feared in the game, and his presence — both in the lineup and in the clubhouse — could take pressure off a young core that regressed last season. The Orioles’ lineup looks to be one of the best in the American League with Alonso, Ward, Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Jackson Holliday and Adley Rutschman.

The addition of Alonso raises questions, though. Does spending $31 million a season on a first baseman mean the Orioles won’t be making another big move this winter, perhaps for a starting pitcher? On Monday, Elias indicated that wouldn’t be the case, saying that the Orioles had the payroll space to add both a big arm and a big bat. The Orioles’ payroll in 2025 was $164 million, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. After adding Alonso, the projected 2026 figure is $152 million.

“You look at our payroll as it stands right now, and it’s still well below where we were at last year,” Elias said Monday. “We’ll just consider opportunities as they come up and have those conversations with ownership. But we do have room for more moves, multiple more moves.”

Alonso’s addition fogs up the future for first basemen Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo in the organization. It’s unlikely that both are on the 2026 roster, and they could be trade pieces if the Orioles acquire a starting pitcher. Baltimore also signed catcher Samuel Basallo to an eight-year, $67 million extension in August and the 21-year-old is capable of playing first base as well.

Where the Orioles could suffer is on defense. Alonso has accumulated minus-12 defensive runs saved and minus-18 outs above average at first base over the past two seasons. The Orioles could opt to use him exclusively at designated hitter, something he was rumored to be open to as a free agent, but that would prevent them from playing Rutschman and Basallo there to keep their bats in the lineup every day.

It’s also a risky bet on Alonso’s ability to stay productive through his age-35 season. His on-base percentage rebounded in 2025 after he put up a .324 OBP over his previous two years — a significant reason he settled for a short-term deal to return to the Mets last offseason.

Yet the move is one aimed at boosting the Orioles’ chances of returning to the playoffs in 2026, a signal that the franchise isn’t content with the last-place finish it endured this past year. The Orioles went as far as they needed to secure one of the best hitters on the market. Their World Series odds are better for it.

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