Pete Alonso has already made Baltimore look smart.
When the Orioles handed him a five-year, $155 million deal last winter, the reaction was easy to understand. Alonso had just gone through a strange free-agency ride the year before, landing back with the Mets on a two-year deal with an opt-out after waiting nearly all winter.
This time around, he reached the market again after a much better season, but the bidding never seemed to line up the way many expected. The Mets reportedly didn’t even make an offer, and the Red Sox, another club closely tied to him, weren’t going past three years.
Baltimore stepped in and gave him the kind of contract he’d been chasing.
At the time, it felt like the kind of move that could age badly fast.
Instead, Alonso has delivered from the jump. In his age-31 season, he was the first hitter in the American League to get to 100 RBIs, and he’s sitting inside the top 10 in baseball in home runs.
He’s also been stronger on defense, posting a -1 OAA after sitting at -9 in 2025. Put it all together, and he’s been the most valuable first baseman in the sport by fWAR at 4.2.
The numbers from FanGraphs back up just how productive he’s been. Their “Dollar” stat, which turns WAR into a salary estimate, has Alonso at $33.8 million in value this season.
That clears both his $31 million luxury-tax hit and his actual $21 million salary. In other words, Baltimore has already gotten more than what it paid for in year one.
That said, the long view still matters. The deal is backloaded, which means Alonso’s actual salary jumps to $33.5 million for his ages 32 through 35 seasons.
He’s been excellent this year, but even offensively he’s still a step shy of his very best seasons, and the defensive improvement is hard to bank on because he hadn’t shown it before. Before 2026, he had only one season worth more than $33.5 million by that same FanGraphs measure, and that came in his rookie year, when he hit 53 home runs.
So the contract may look different as the years roll on. But right now, Alonso has done exactly what Baltimore hoped for and then some.
He’s been a force in the middle of the lineup and a major reason the Orioles still have a postseason shot. For now, the free-agent gamble has paid off.
In Other News...
Orioles History Still Carries A Painful Eddie Murray Reminder
Eddie Murray remains one of the most important hitters in Orioles history, a Hall of Famer who spent 12 seasons in Baltimore and helped drive the club to its 1983 World Series title. For a franchise that has leaned on its legends as part of its identity, Murrays place in the picture is secure because of everything he produced on the field, including the steady excellence that made him a multiple Silver Slugger winner.
Still, the story of Murray and the Orioles is not only about the highlights. His relationship with ownership soured in the mid-1980s, and by 1988 he was dealt to the Dodgers, a split that left a lingering sting for a player and a fan base that had watched him become a cornerstone. Murray did eventually return to Baltimore in 1996 after things improved, but the memory of how it ended the first time is still one of the more painful reminders in team history. [Read more 🡒]
Trey Mancini Gets The Orioles Ending Baltimore Fans Wanted
Trey Mancinis return to Baltimore this week carried the kind of symmetry Orioles fans could appreciate. He signed a ceremonial one-day contract so he could retire as a member of the team that first made him a favorite, a neat ending for a player whose time in Baltimore meant far more than a box-score line ever could. For a franchise that has spent years reconnecting with its past while pushing toward its future, the gesture fit the moment perfectly.
Mancinis place in Orioles memory was already secure, but the one-day deal gives the story a cleaner finish and a sense of closure for the fan base that watched him become one of the clubs most respected figures. It is the sort of move that does not change a standings race or alter a roster, yet still matters because it speaks directly to the relationship between a player and a city, and Baltimores appreciation for one of its most enduring recent stars. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Face One Defining Question About Elias After Front Office Shakeup
The Orioles 1-0 loss to the Brewers on a day meant to honor Trey Mancinis retirement as an Oriole was a reminder of how much attention is now shifting from the field to the people building the roster. Mike Elias said he and manager Craig Albernaz are expected back next season, but the organization is also continuing a front office search that could reshape the structure around them.
What makes the situation worth watching is the direction of that search. Baltimore is looking for a new general manager with a player development background, a clue that the club wants to reinforce the pipeline even as it absorbs recent changes, including the departure of director of player development Matt Blood and a title adjustment for analytics executive Sig Mejdal. The next hire may say as much about how the Orioles see themselves as anything Elias has said publicly so far. [Read more 🡒]