ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Orioles wanted to be aggressive this offseason. President of baseball operations Mike Elias was expressing a willingness to spend more money than at any point in his seven-year tenure. And it felt like a big move was brewing all week at the Winter Meetings.
Then, the massive news came.
Baltimore on Thursday finalized a five-year contract with slugging first baseman Pete Alonso that's worth $155 million, a source told MLB.com. The deal features a partial no-trade clause, per source.
To sum it up in a word: Wow.
Alonso’s deal marks the highest average annual value given to a first baseman. It’ll also be the highest AAV in Orioles history and the second-largest financial commitment made in the history of the Orioles, who hadn’t made this type of splash since signing Chris Davis to a seven-year, $161 million deal in 2016.
But the Davis signing occurred before Elias was hired in November 2018. Early in his tenure, the O’s were hesitant to sign long-term deals as the club underwent a lengthy rebuild. In more recent offseasons, they were unsuccessful in attempts to make this type of a splash.
Now, the addition of Alonso could mark a turning point in the Elias era of the Orioles, who are attempting to quickly bounce back after going 75-87 and finishing in last place in the American League East in 2025 and make their third postseason appearance in four years in ‘26.
Alonso will significantly upgrade an offense that underperformed this past season. The 31-year-old is a five-time All-Star who won his first National League Silver Slugger Award in 2025, when he hit .272 with 41 doubles, 38 home runs, 126 RBIs and an .871 OPS in 162 games.
In seven MLB seasons (all with the Mets), Alonso has clubbed 264 homers, including at least 34 in each of the past five years. The Polar Bear is a two-time Home Run Derby champion (2019 and ‘21), has received NL MVP Award votes in three of the past four seasons and played all 162 games in both ‘24 and ‘25. He also has the reputation of being a good teammate with a goofy personality and demeanor.
Potential Orioles Opening Day lineup
- Taylor Ward, LF
- Gunnar Henderson, SS
- Jordan Westburg, 3B
- Pete Alonso, 1B
- Samuel Basallo, DH
- Adley Rutschman, C
- Jackson Holliday, 2B
- Tyler O’Neill, RF
- Colton Cowser, CF
A source told MLB.com earlier this week that Alonso (who lives in Tampa) would be coming to Orlando to meet with clubs at the Winter Meetings and that the Orioles would be among that group. Clearly, the meeting -- which took place Tuesday night -- appears to have gone well.
Because Alonso rejected a qualifying offer last offseason, he was not eligible to receive another this year, meaning he will not be tied to Draft-pick compensation.
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported that the Mets were hesitant to give Alonso a contract of more than three years in length. According to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, New York never made a formal offer to Alonso as it became clear to the club that the bidding was heading to places it wasn’t interested in going. The Red Sox had also been rumored to be among the suitors for Alonso by various reports this week.
The O’s reportedly offered a five-year, $150 million contract to slugger Kyle Schwarber, who ended up re-signing with the Phillies for those exact terms. At that point, Baltimore shifted its focus to Alonso.
In the past, a move of this stature likely would have prevented the Orioles from making additional significant transactions. But Elias has repeatedly praised the support and financial flexibility his front office is getting from the David Rubenstein-led ownership group, which purchased the team in March 2024.
This shouldn’t be the only major move made by Baltimore this winter, especially now that the club has a logjam at first base. The O’s already had a pair of right-handed-hitting first basemen in Ryan Mountcastle (who was tendered a contract last month) and Coby Mayo, while lefty-hitting catcher Samuel Basallo was also expected to get some time at first.
To the Orioles, that doesn’t seem to matter. Elias made it clear on Monday that the team wanted to acquire an impact bat, regardless of position. The plan appeared to be for the O’s to sign a top-tier free-agent hitter and then figure out the construction of the roster later on.
“We’re talking to a whole bunch of hitters, and we just view it as, ‘Do they improve the team? Do they improve the roster? Do they raise the ceiling of the team? Do they have an impact?’” Elias said on Monday evening. “If the player’s good enough, we can figure out ways to accommodate them.”
The addition of Alonso could lead to Mountcastle and/or Mayo becoming trade chips. Baltimore still hasn’t acquired any starting pitchers this offseason, and it is currently exploring all avenues to doing so.
Although the Orioles haven’t added to their rotation mix, they’ve been quite busy over the past five weeks. They reacquired right-handed reliever Andrew Kittredge in a trade with the Cubs on Nov. 4, acquired Ward in a trade with the Angels on Nov. 19 and signed righty Ryan Helsley to a two-year, $28 million deal to serve as the closer heading into 2026 on Dec. 1.
Catcher Maverick Handley was designated for assignment to make room for Alonso on Baltimore's 40-man roster.
The Alonso signing eclipsed all of those moves, though, and proved that Baltimore has emerged as a legitimate spender moving forward.