submitted by Payne Masaitis
After a disheartening season at Camden Yards, the Orioles jolted the league, landing superstar first baseman Pete Alonso on a monster five-year deal worth up to $155 million. Fans rejoiced at landing the premium hitter, but for Baltimore’s first basemen Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo, the splash raises serious questions.
Alonso, 31, has started 993 games in his career with the New York Mets. A total of 933 of them have come at first base while the other 60 have been as the designated hitter, a strong indicator that the slugger will be Baltimore’s everyday first baseman.
That’s not even factoring in young star Samuel Basallo, whom the team signed to an eight-year extension last season. With Adley Rutschman the team’s primary catcher, maneuvering the lineup to include those two will already be tough. Not to mention, last offseason’s splash addition Tyler O’Neill played a quarter of his 2025 games as the designated hitter.
All in all, the designated hitter spot will have limited flexibility, putting Mountcastle and Mayo in a tough spot. Where do they fit in? The unfortunate and likely inevitable reality is that they don’t.
After the discouraging 75-87 finish to last season, Orioles President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias made it crystal clear that the team would not back down from a splash deal in free agency because of a positional logjam. “This is something that will sort itself out,” Elias said in a press conference back in November.
Mountcastle, now the longest-tenured member of the team, began his career in Charm City with a bang, crushing a team-leading 33 home runs in the 2021 season. The 28-year-old has since seen his hitting numbers drop steadily, his 2025 campaign ending with just seven homers.
The option exists for the team to hold on to the former AL Rookie of the Year candidate, but it would be in a bench role, a hard sell given Mountcastle doesn’t play any other position than first base.
Mountcastle does possess defensive upside, which could give him value on the market if the front office chooses to go that route.
This is Mountcastle’s final arbitration season, meaning he becomes a free agent after the 2026 season. Will a team surrender a prospect for a declining hitter that they can sign just an offseason later?
The likelier option would be designating Mountcastle for assignment, should the team part ways with the veteran. Regardless of the means, all signs suggest Mountcastle has made his last at-bat as an Oriole.
Alternatively, Orioles designated hitter and corner infielder Coby Mayo is a more intriguing situation.
Mayo, who just celebrated his 24th birthday the same day his team signed Alonso, finished his rookie campaign with 11 home runs, 28 RBIs, and a .217 batting average. Not eye-popping numbers, but the youngster showed flashes of the power that made him a top prospect in the organization.
Mayo’s age obviously renders him more valuable on the market than his first base counterpart, and pursuing a trade could net Baltimore an upmarket starting pitcher, something the team has repeatedly been said to be interested in.
On the trade front, Baltimore has recently been linked to Marlins right-handed starter Edward Cabrera and Nationals lefty MacKenzie Gore. Mayo could be the key to acquiring one of the two.
The possibility of starting Mayo at Triple-A Norfolk has also been floated around. The 24-year-old could continue to improve in the minors while the team shapes itself out over the first month or two of play.
Either way, Elias and company will have to make some tough decisions to solve the puzzle that is Baltimore’s first base logjam.
Regardless of the outcome, the Orioles have seemingly reached a turning point. The big-time addition of Alonso makes clear Baltimore’s intention to compete for a World Series in 2026. And as the team shifts identity, one or both of Mountcastle and Mayo will likely be the collateral damage.
