The Baltimore Orioles made one of the biggest signings in franchise history when they acquired superstar first baseman Pete Alonso this past offseason, but it has resulted in speculation about fellow first basemen Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle. Will Baltimore keep both of the latter two players long-term given that Alonso will start?

Manager Craig Albernaz dismissed the chatter as "noise" on Monday, via MASN's Roch Kubatko.

“It’s noise, right, and a lot of that noise is people making assumptions and trying to play GM who are not the GM, which is a real thing,” he said. “A lot of that is for them to know that they have their own development to do. And it’s any of our players."

"There’s no finished products, and so for these guys to block out the noise, if they did hear it – assuming they did – but also, that’s something we message to all our guys is that you can’t control anything outside of your reach and your spectrum," he continued. "So it’s literally attacking each day as Day 1, having that Day 1 mindset approach of just trying to get better every day, and whatever happens happens in this game."

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that the Orioles "continue to explore trades" for both Mountcastle and Mayo on Feb. 14.

Spring training production can only reveal so much about players, as the sample size is small. However, both Mayo and Mountcastle are having productive springs while they compete for the backup first baseman spot.

Mayo is 13-for-26 with one homer, 10 RBIs, and one stolen base, while Mountcastle is 8-for-27 with two RBIs. However, Mountcastle left Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates after getting hit by a 90.3-mile-per-hour pitch on the right hand in the bottom of the eighth inning. The 29-year-old's X-rays came back negative postgame, per MLB.com.

Even if Mountcastle isn't seriously injured, he might still be at a disadvantage compared to Mayo moving forward. The latter player is fully healthy and has seven hits over his last five games, including a 4-for-4 day in Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the Houston Astros. Meanwhile, Mountcastle's production could dip if he plays through pain. 

On the other hand, Mayo still has more to prove. The 2020 fourth-round pick has only played 102 MLB regular-season games and slashed .217/.299/.388 over 85 contests in 2025. Conversely, Mountcastle has a .750 OPS over 652 big-league outings.

The decision of who to keep could come down to youth vs. experience for Baltimore. Mountcastle is 29 and on his final arbitration year, while Mayo is 24 and still in pre-arbitration. Mountcastle is the short-term veteran with a reliable floor as a backup, and Mayo is the upside pick with a lower floor.

The Orioles could also keep both players since Mayo plays third. Mountcastle could fill in at first and designated hitter when necessary, and Mayo could back up Jordan Westburg (UCL) at third. Mayo's versatility is especially helpful for the Orioles right now since Westburg won't return in April, per MLB.com.

Regardless, Baltimore has months before the MLB Trade Deadline on Aug. 3. For now, the team must focus on getting reps and maintaining health as it navigates its first season with Albernaz.