Orioles land Pete Alonso with 5-year, $155 million deal

The Baltimore Orioles agreed to a $155 million, five-year contract with slugger Pete Alonso, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

It’s a major move for a Baltimore team that vowed to be aggressive following a last-place finish in the AL East. Alonso hit .272 with 38 home runs and 126 RBIs for the New York Mets this year, posting an .871 OPS that was his highest since he hit 53 home runs as a rookie in 2019.

Alonso, a first baseman who turned 31 on Sunday, hit a franchise-record 264 homers over seven seasons with the Mets. He’s earned All-Star honors five times, including each of the past four years.

Nicknamed the Polar Bear, Alonso became a Citi Field fan favorite as a homegrown member of the Mets. He was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2019, when he hit .260 with a major league-high 53 homers — a rookie record — and 120 RBIs. He had a career-high 131 RBIs in 2022.

Alonso batted a career-low .217 in 2023 while hitting 46 homers and driving in 118 runs, and he hit .240 with 34 homers and 88 RBIs in 2024.

The Mets lost Alonso a day after All-Star closer Edwin Díaz agreed to leave New York for a $69 million, three-year contract with the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, a deal still not finalized. New York also traded outfielder Brandon Nimmo to Texas on Nov. 24 for Gold Glove second baseman Marcus Semien.

New York was baseball’s second-biggest spender this year behind the Dodgers but failed to reach the postseason.



(AP Photo Lynne Sladky)