The Baltimore Orioles have made a massive splash in MLB free agency, signing first baseman Pete Alonso. In his second consecutive free agency winter, Alonso has finally landed the long-term deal he desired. Alonso is now an Oriole after inking a five-year, $155 million deal. ESPN's Jeff Passan broke the news from the Winter Meetings.
“BREAKING: First baseman Pete Alonso and the Baltimore Orioles are finalizing a five-year, $155 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Alonso leaves the Mets to make a loaded AL East even better,” Passan reported.
Alonso was drafted by the Mets and won the 2019 Rookie of the Year award with the club. After signing a two-year deal with an opt-out last winter, he got the big deal he desired. Alonso now joins a young Orioles core that has Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman still under team control.
The Orioles are under new ownership, with this as the second offseason under David Rubenstein. Last year, they lost ace Corbin Burnes to the Arizona Diamondbacks and went into the season on a whimper. After a poor 2025 campaign, they offered a massive deal to Kyle Schwarber, who turned it down to return to the Philadelphia Phillies. They landed Alonso on a similar contract to Schwarber's.
The Orioles offered Schwarber $150 million over five years, which the DH brought back to the Phillies to match. They did, which landed him back where he started. They added an extra $1 million per year to the offer for Alonso, who signed in Baltimore. According to The Athletic's Will Sammon, the Orioles went where the Mets were unwilling to go on Alonso.
“The Mets had some interest in bringing Pete Alonso back but they were not comfortable going to the lengths and figures it ended up at in his deal with the Orioles, league sources said,” Sammon reported.
