Shockwaves were sent across Major League Baseball when the Orioles signed former Mets 1B/DH Pete Alonso, 31, to a 5-year, $155 million contract. This immediately became the second-highest contract ever given in Orioles history, behind only Chris Davis’s infamous 7-year, $161 million contract in 2016.
Alonso is now the second-highest paid first baseman in terms of average annual value trailing only fellow AL East slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Alonso is on the wrong side of 30, yet he’s coming off of a season where he posted the highest batting average of his career.
Despite the hefty contract to Alonso, Mike Elias and company do not seem to be anywhere near done.
In the trade department, the Orioles seem to be shopping for a starting pitcher. The Marlins have been shopping Edward Cabrera, and the Orioles are in the mix among others, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic. Jon Morosi of MLB Network mentioned that the Orioles were also in the mix for Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore.
The Orioles are clearly still working the free agent market as well. “I know that Mike [Elias] has every intention to add players to his team, and he’s been in regular communication with us about that,” said MLB Agent Scott Boras. Pete Alonso is a Boras client, as is Ranger Suarez, the former Phillies starter that the Orioles have shown interest in. Boras was his typical self at the Winter Meetings, dropping really, really corny puns. In regard to Ranger Suarez he said, “In the postseason, when you add a Suarez, you’re armed and Rangerous.” That postseason prowess may be exactly what the Orioles needed.
Framber Valdez is another name the Orioles have been tied to, and it’s clear Mike Elias is putting a ton of focus on the starting rotation, a unit that plagued the Orioles last season.
Elias was asked on Monday if he’s willing to sign a pitcher to a long-term contract, to which he replied, “Trust me, we’ve offered them a lot.”
Don’t be shocked if you see another big name addition to this Orioles roster in the next few weeks. After what was a failure of a 2025 season, the front office is clearly not willing to take any more half-measures, it’s time to move all the chips into the middle.
