Pete Alonso’s first season in Baltimore has already done more than calm the noise around his five-year, $155 million deal. It has reshaped the way the Orioles have to think about their lineup.
When Mike Elias signed Alonso ahead of 2026, it was a clear bet that the young core alone wasn’t enough to drag Baltimore back into the postseason. Plenty of people mocked the move, treating it like an old-school, nine-figure gamble on a power hitter past his prime. Some even framed it as a potential Chris Davis 2.0 disaster.
Instead, Alonso delivered exactly what the Orioles paid for - and then some. He’s now a 2026 Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger nominee, and the nomination only strengthens the case that he has become the most important player on the roster.
Alonso’s production made the decision look smart almost immediately. He led the American League with 43 home runs and 113 RBIs in 2026, while appearing in 161 games and piling up 700 plate appearances.
That kind of availability matters just as much as the power. Baltimore didn’t just get a slugger; it got a lineup anchor who showed up every day.
His first year in the AL also came with a neat piece of history. Alonso hit 53 homers in his first season in the NL, then followed that by hitting 40 in his first season in the AL, making him the only player all-time to hit 40-plus home runs in his first season in each league.
That’s why the Silver Slugger nod feels like more than a nice individual honor. It’s a reminder that Alonso is no longer just a veteran addition meant to support the kids. He is the center of the operation, the bat everything else is built around.
Baltimore has spent years hoping different young players would turn into that kind of force. Adley Rutschman was supposed to be a rare catcher who could dominate at the plate and behind it, but he’s now in Boston.
Jackson Holliday arrived with generational expectations, yet after three years there are still questions about whether he’s even an MLB-caliber player. Gunnar Henderson has shown the most of the bunch, but a .712 OPS in his fourth full big league season fell well short of the hype.
Alonso’s value is simpler and more dependable. He hits home runs.
He drives in runs. He plays almost every day.
That’s the kind of production a team can build around, and it’s why the Orioles are reportedly willing to trade anyone except him.
His Silver Slugger competition at first base comes from Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras. The numbers make it a real race.
Pete Alonso: .267/.363/.522 43 homers 148 wRC+
Willson Contreras: .275/.386/.516 27 homers 151 wRC+
Contreras has the slight edge in wRC+, while Alonso brings the louder raw totals in home runs and RBIs. Alonso also played 31 more games than Contreras, which only strengthens his case. Both players deserve to be in the conversation, but Alonso’s season gave Baltimore exactly the kind of impact it was hoping to buy.
Whether he wins the trophy or not, the bigger takeaway is already clear: the Orioles need more around him in 2027. Alonso has raised the floor, but he can’t carry the whole thing by himself.
In Other News...
Orioles Trade Buzz Now Centers On A Young Core Decision
The Orioles trade chatter has shifted from the usual deadline noise to something far more consequential: what Baltimore wants its young core to look like going forward. Industry speculation has put several recognizable names into the conversation, including Pete Alonso and Gunnar Henderson, both represented by Scott Boras, as teams around the game try to read where the Orioles see their long-term fit. In that same swirl, Jackson Holliday has also surfaced in rumor, a striking twist for a player taken first overall and still viewed as one of the organizations biggest pieces.
What makes the talk around Holliday especially notable is the possibility that Baltimore could be weighing a roster move to make room for Jordan Westburg, which would say a lot about how the club is sorting out its infield and its priorities. None of it amounts to a confirmed trade or an official signal from the team, but it does underline how quickly deadline conversations can move from fringe speculation to questions about the direction of a franchise. For Orioles fans, the intrigue is not just who might be available, but which young players the front office is willing to build around. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Free Agents Are Heading Into A Brutal Winter Reality
Trevor Rogers is shaping up as the most appealing Orioles free agent on the market, and that alone says plenty about how this winter could unfold for Baltimores departing group. With several teams expected to check in, Rogers sits atop a class that includes a mix of familiar names and uncertain cases, from bullpen help to lineup pieces, all of them trying to sort out what kind of demand they can generate after a season shaped by performance, injuries and contract questions.
Luis Robert Jr., Chris Bassitt, Andrew Kittredge, Zach Eflin, Keegan Akin, Ryan Mountcastle and Heston Kjerstad all bring different appeals and different baggage, which is why the rankings from multiple outlets paint such a wide range of outcomes. For the Orioles, the bigger picture is less about one signing and more about how many of these players can actually find the kind of market they might have expected a year ago, and which ones are left waiting as the winter market settles into a tougher reality. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Face A Real Catching Question Around Samuel Basallo
The Orioles are headed into an offseason with a familiar checklist, and the catching spot is one of the trickier items on it. Baltimore wants to strengthen its roster in a few places, including the rotation and outfield, but the backstop situation is drawing extra attention because Samuel Basallo is already under a long-term contract and figures to be part of the future.
Basallos bat and upside make him an important piece, yet the club also wants to keep his workload in check to protect his health. That leaves Baltimore weighing a veteran partner who can handle the defensive side of the job, with free-agent possibilities such as Austin Hedges and Carson Kelly in the mix, along with a possible reunion with James McCann. It is the kind of balancing act that could shape how the Orioles manage the position from day to day next season. [Read more 🡒]