Mike Elias details the pivotal late-night meeting and persuasive pitch that secured Pete Alonso.
The Baltimore Orioles made the biggest splash of their offseason when they signed Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million deal back in December. Now we're learning exactly how it all went down.
President of baseball operations Mike Elias recently appeared at an Economic Club of Washington event with owner David Rubenstein, and he pulled back the curtain on how Baltimore landed the five-time All-Star first baseman.
How the Meeting Happened
After a rough 75-87 season that saw the Orioles finish dead last in the American League East, Elias knew exactly what the team needed.
"We were in the market for a middle of the order bat to kind of anchor this really talented young lineup that we have and there weren't too many of them out there," Elias said at the event. "Albie (Albernaz) and I late at night, went into a suite and had a really good meeting with him...we didn't want to miss out on him."
That late-night meeting with manager Craig Albernaz clearly made the difference. Baltimore moved fast after that conversation and locked up Alonso before other teams could make a serious push.
The slugger hit .272 with 38 home runs and 126 RBIs last season while playing all 162 games for the Mets and taking home his first Silver Slugger Award.
He also led the National League with 41 doubles and finished the year as one of the most productive hitters in baseball.
What He Brings to the Lineup
Looking at the Orioles' roster, it's easy to see why they went after Alonso so hard.
Baltimore has an incredible young core with guys like Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman, but they were missing that proven right-handed power bat in the middle of the order.
Henderson put up big numbers last season, but the lineup around him didn't always come through when it mattered.
Now Alonso slots right in as protection for those young stars, and that completely changes how opposing pitchers have to approach the Orioles.
The 31-year-old has been one of the most durable players in baseball too, playing in all 162 games in each of the past two seasons.
That kind of reliability matters when you're trying to compete over a long season in the tough American League East.
Why Baltimore Won Out
Agent Scott Boras later revealed that Albernaz made a huge impression during that meeting, doing "a remarkable job of making someone in a room understand how that would be if he played here."
The new manager's energy and vision for how Alonso would fit into Baltimore's plans clearly resonated.
The $155 million deal is the second-largest contract in Orioles history, and it sends a clear message that this franchise is done rebuilding.
With Alonso now anchoring the middle of the order next to Henderson, Rutschman, and Jackson Holliday, the Orioles look ready to bounce back in a big way after last year's disappointment.