The New York Mets will have a new first baseman on Opening Day for the first time since 2019, as Pete Alonso inked a massive five-year, $155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles to transform their lineup in 2026.
The Baltimore Orioles made a massive move on Wednesday with the franchise’s largest free agency signing in history. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Orioles have signed former New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million deal in the midst of the 2025 MLB Winter Meetings. The Mets, for the first time since 2019, will start a different first baseman on Opening Day. Baltimore now has a centerpiece to their 2026 lineup as they try to fix what went wrong last season.
The 31-year-old was drafted by New York in the second round of the MLB draft in 2019 and spent his entire career there until now. He made a splash as the National League Rookie of the Year, slashing .260/.358/.583 with 53 home runs, 120 RBI and a .941 OPS through 161 games. This last season, however, he had to take a chance on himself when he failed to secure a long-term contract and took a two-year, $54 million deal with an opt-out clause. He proceeded to slash slashed .272/.347/.524 with 38 home runs, 126 RBI and a .871 OPS through 162 games.
Here is the story from Orioles Roundtable writer Grant Mona on how Alonso transforms Baltimore’s roster and vision for 2026.
Here is the story from Mets Roundtable writer Nick Radosevich on what went down to lose Alonso and how New York can look to replace the significant production now lost.
Alonso won his first career Silver Slugger Award last season while leading the National League with 41 doubles. He has a career 264 home runs, which is the Mets’ all-time franchise record. The power hitter has remained dominant through a seven-year career and packs the punch the Orioles need after a disappointing 2025 campaign that saw them go 75-87 and led to the firing of manager Brandon Hyde midseason.
One of the glaring lineup problems was consistency in the middle of the order, and that’s precisely what Alonso should provide slotting alongside Gunnar Henderson. It’s an important veteran presence and steady production that should alleviate pressure from the younger core of players. The team still needs to add a starting pitcher for 2026. This move showed they’re willing to be aggressive to turn things around.