Orioles emerge as surprise ‘dark-horse suitor’ for star hitter
Baltimore Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias is saying all the right things during this week’s general manager meetings in Las Vegas.
Everything that Elias has said indicates that he’s willing to make multiple major moves to turn Baltimore back into a World Series contender in 2026 after what was a disappointing 2025 campaign. At one point, he even said, “We’re trying to win, and this ownership group is willing to dip into the red considerably in order to do that.”
That is not something fans hear every day from a powerful front office executive, especially in a sport where it often feels like few teams are truly willing to do whatever it takes (in a financial sense) to give their organization the best chance to succeed.
Elias also noted that the team’s top three priorities this offseason will be adding a frontline starting pitcher, a closer (as Felix Bautista is expected to miss the entire 2026 season due to injury), and a veteran outfielder. However, he’s also clearly keen to pounce on any other opportunity to make this roster even more formidable.
And one way to do that would be signing longtime New York Mets slugger, Pete Alonso.
Insider Calls Orioles Candidate to Sign Pete Alonso
Alonso is coming off a career year for New York, where he hit .272 with an .871 OPS, 38 home runs, and 126 RBIs. While he was mediocre on defense, the bottom line is that just about every team would be eager to have his bat in their lineup.
And New York Post MLB insider Jon Heyman made it clear that the Orioles should be considered a candidate for Alonso, as he called Baltimore a “dark-horse suitor” to sign him in free agency in a November 12 article.
During a November 12 epiode of his baseball podcast The Show, Heyman also noted, “There’s gonna be other suitors [other than the Mets] for Alonso. I’m hearing of one surprise suitor that could potentially be the Baltimore Orioles, which is a team that has not really been linked to Alonso at this point.”
Given that first base is already crowded for the Orioles (because Samuel Basallo is expected to play there in 2026, as is Ryan Mountcastle if he isn’t traded), Alonso would seemingly make the most sense at DH for Baltimore, which his agent, Scott Boras, said he would be open to doing in the right situation.
The Orioles’ signing Alonso would prove that everything Elias has said about his team’s desire to return to contention is true.
