Pete

Alonso

The homer off Ryjeteri Merite was the third that Alonso has hit this spring, though it won’t count in his statistics. His 110-mph single was hit even harder than his 384-foot homer.

Alonso victimized Connor Pilkington in the third inning of this one, blasting a 1-2 slider for a 411-foot (107.7 mph EV) solo shot that gave the Orioles a 3-2 advantage. He grounded out to shortstop in his other plate appearance in the ballgame. The 31-year-old slugger once again batted second for the Orioles in this one, and it appears as though that could be his primary spot in the order to begin the 2026 campaign.

Newly minted Orioles skipper Craig Albernaz told reporters Ward is a candidate to lead off this season, particularly against left-handed pitchers. The 32-year-old offseason acquisition’s fantasy value would increase with a permanent move to the top of the order, especially since he would be getting on-base ahead of superstars Gunnar Henderson and Pete Alonso. It’s an intriguing development that fantasy managers should continue monitoring as Grapefruit League action gets underway.

Every other Orioles regular came out after two at-bats, but Alonso pushed for a third after a groundout and a lineout. He got it and hit his first homer in an Orioles uniform, taking Bradley Hanner out to left. The Orioles had Alonso hitting second behind Gunnar Henderson in today’s lineup, and one wonders if that might be the Opening Day combo with probable leadoff man Jackson Holliday and frequent No. 2 hitter Jordan Westburg sidelined. Hitting second would be a little different for Alonso, but he has started there 133 times in his career. 70 of those games came in his rookie season in 2019.

The second-largest contract in Orioles history is now official. Hopefully, it works out a whole lot better than the biggest, which was Chris Davis’s ill-fated seven-year, $161 million deal signed a decade ago. Alonso will likely hit third or fourth for the Orioles, and he should benefit some from the move out of Citi Field, though more so from a singles and doubles standpoint than when it comes to homers. The signing frees up to the Orioles to part with Ryan Mountcastle or Coby Mayo and it wouldn’t be surprising to see both of them on the move. One of the two could be part a DH rotation, but neither seems entirely necessary at this point. If both do stick around, Mayo will probably open next season back in the minors.

The Orioles finally did it. Matching the Phillies’ five-year, $150 million offer to Kyle Schwarber didn’t work out, but the Mets probably weren’t similarly motivated to pay Alonso quite this much, at least not for so long. The 31-year-old Alonso is coming off perhaps his most impressive season since his rookie campaign, having hit .272/.347/.524 with 38 homers and 126 RBI. His average exit velocity off the bat was 93.5 mph, which is about four mph ahead of where he was from 2022-24, and his .385 xwOBA was a career high. His 89 barrels were 23 more than he’d ever collected before. With Alonso slotting in at first base, one imagines the Orioles will seek to move Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo, though it’s possible they could keep one as a DH option.

Alonso lives in Tampa and the meetings are in Orlando, so he doesn’t have too far to go. It’s unclear if he’ll be meeting with the Mets, but there will always be time for that later.

The Orioles currently have Coby Mayo, Ryan Mountcastle and Samuel Basallo for first base and DH, but Mountcastle doesn’t seem all that likely to stick around and Mayo is hardly a sure thing at this point. Alonso would definitely look pretty good hitting third or fourth behind Gunnar Henderson.

Of his 994 career starts, just 60 have come at DH and only three the last two seasons. Alonso surely doesn’t want to be a full-time DH just yet, though that is likely coming at some point. Still, one of the reasons the Mets seem ill-suited to giving him the long-term deal he wants is that they’re probably going to need to make Juan Soto their DH someday.

The Mets missed the playoffs despite Alonso’s huge year on offense, and the team is now “preaching defense or in the words of Stearns, ‘run prevention,’” which means that Alonso may not be the best fit. However, the Red Sox have an opening at first base and need the power that Alonso could provide them. Even if Triston Casas (knee) were to begin the year healthy, he and Alonso could split the first base and designated hitter roles.