Pete Alonso to be introduced by Orioles on Friday after finalizing $155 million, 5-year contract

BALTIMORE (AP) — Pete Alonso and the Baltimore Orioles completed their $155 million, five-year contract on Thursday.

Baltimore called a news conference for Friday to introduce the former New York Mets first baseman, a five-time All-Star.

“New York, thank you,” Alonso wrote on Instagram in a post he signed “Polar Bear.”

“These last few years have shaped me in ways I’ll carry for the rest of my life. This city demands your best and I’m proud to look back knowing I gave everything I had into earning the privilege of wearing that jersey,” the slugger said.

“Thank you for the passion. Thank you for the love. Even the tough love that comes with playing for New York,” he added. “When it came time for first pitch, thank you for being electric through it all. Thank you for getting rowdy every time I stepped up to the plate and made the building shake when the ball found a seat over the wall. Your energy fueled me more than you’ll ever know. You believed in me, and you made me better.”

Alonso gets a $12.5 million signing bonus payable within 45 days of the contract’s approval by Major League Baseball and salaries of $18.5 million next year and $31 million in each of the following four seasons. His agreement also includes a limited no-trade provision allowing him to block being dealt to eight teams.

Alonso turned 31 on Sunday. He hit .272 with 38 home runs and 126 RBIs for the Mets this year, posting an .871 OPS that was his highest since he hit 53 home runs as a rookie in 2019. He hit a franchise-record 264 homers over seven seasons with New York.

Catcher Maverick Handley was designated for assignment. The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.

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.

After a slow free agent market last winter, Alonso signed a $54 million, two-year contract to stay with the Mets, but he opted out of the final year of the deal, forfeiting $24 million.

Alonso turned down a $158 million, seven-year offer from the Mets in 2023 that would have covered 2024-30. He will wind up earning $205.5 million over those seven seasons, a 30% increase.

Baltimore won the AL East in 2023 and was a wild card in 2024, but a team full of young talent backslid significantly in 2025. Baltimore’s pitching had a lot to do with that, but the offense wasn’t great either despite the presence of Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Jordan Westburg.

Alonso gives the Orioles a veteran power bat in the middle of the lineup, and new manager Craig Albernaz will have some flexibility. Rutschman and Samuel Basallo are options at both catcher and designated hitter, with Basallo potentially getting at-bats at first base, too. Alonso has played 162 games each of the past two seasons, almost entirely at first base.

It’s now harder to see a path to regular playing time, barring injury, for first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who could become a free agent after the 2026 season. Coby Mayo, a power-hitting prospect who hit .217 with 11 homers in 85 games this year, may also be blocked.

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Baltimore could still use a dependable starter to help a rotation that produced a 4.65 ERA last season, but acquiring Alonso shows the Orioles are willing and able to land a top free agent after sticking mostly to short-term deals in recent years.

Earlier this offseason, Baltimore signed reliever Ryan Helsley and traded for outfielder Taylor Ward.

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.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb