Lunchtime on Dec. 10, the Baltimore Orioles announced to the public that they had agreed to a five-year contract with All-Star first baseman and power hitter, Pete Alonso. Alonso had reached free agency status after completing the 2025 season with the New York Mets, ending his two-year, $54 million contract that offered an opt-out option after the 2025 season.
Alonso brings a lot to the table for Baltimore. After staying healthy for all 162 games, he played in all of the regular season games and the All-Star week activities. Alonso won the National League “Rookie of the Year” award in 2019, along with becoming the All-Star Home Run Derby champion the same year. Alonso won his second Home Run Derby in 2021 and donated all his earnings to the charity “Homers for Heroes.” Also in his rookie season, he set an MLB rookie record for most home runs hit in a rookie season with 53 bombs. All these instances landed Alonso the very fitting nickname “The Polar Bear.” He isn’t just “bear-like” in brute force, though, knocking balls out of the park like it’s nothing; he fits the name in stature. Alonso is six feet and three inches tall, weighing in at 245 pounds. Alonso is also said to have a “teddy bear” personality, being bubbly and fun-loving with all the people he meets. He just happens to be a real-life polar bear.
The Orioles truly benefited heavily from this deal. While they will be paying him $155 million over the next five years, they have received a player who will surely fill the hole in their lineup. Alonso is a right-handed power hitter, batting around .272 last season with the Mets. He hit a whopping 126 RBI’s in just under 710 plate appearances. Alonso also crushed 38 home runs and recorded 170 total hits. Baltimore has struggled with their offense the last few years, and it seems Alonso might just be the fix the Orioles have desperately needed.
While it seems Alonso is truly there for his hitting power, he has great stability on the field. The Orioles have been struggling with finding a consistent first baseman after Ryan Mountcastle, the former starting first baseman, sustained a hamstring injury in April 2025. Mountcastle missed more than half the season, not returning until August of the same year. While Mountcastle was out, Baltimore tried a few combinations. Many of these experimental games consisted of utility players taking on the role at first base, but the most successful one was Ryan O’Hearn, who, much like Alonso, was a power hitting machine. O’Hearn played first base in 48 games and earned himself a .991 fielding percentage, making almost no errors and allowing few passed balls. Unfortunately, right before the 2025 trade deadline, O’Hearn was sent to the San Diego Padres, leaving a substantial gap in their lineup. The Orioles decided to call a young prospect to fill the role, Coby Mayo. While Mayo didn’t do perfectly, it was an extremely successful outing, especially for a rookie. Mayo played first base in 70 games and earned a .998 fielding percentage. He was almost perfect, but he isn’t even a first baseman. Primarily, Mayo is a third baseman or designated hitter. Playing first was new to him, yet he was a natural. Since Mayo voiced his want to play his primary position, third base, more, management started looking for a permanent solution to Mountcastle’s devastating injury.
Alonso is the perfect, stable first baseman the Orioles have been looking for. While he did commit 10 errors, he had 1312 chances on the field. This earned Alonso 1178 put-outs, where he recorded the out for his team.
Baltimore adding a polar bear to their roster might just be a franchise changing decision by management, and fans can only see it benefiting them.
