Pete Alonso Agrees to Orioles Contract, Who Are Top MLB Free Agents Left?

Pete Alonso's seven-year tenure with the New York Mets has come to an end after the five-time All-Star agreed to a five-year, $155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.

A beloved figure in Queens, Alonso spent nine years in the Mets organization dating back to when he was selected in the second round of the 2016 MLB draft.

According to B/R's free agency big board, Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette are now the top hitters available on the open market, followed by Alex Bregman.

Since debuting in the big leagues at the start of the 2019 season, Alonso has been one of the most prolific home run hitters in MLB. His 264 homers over the past seven seasons trails only Aaron Judge (285) and Kyle Schwarber (268) for most in the league.

In addition to his prodigious power output, Alonso has been a well-rounded hitter. He owns a .253/.341/.516 career slash line, with a .360 weighted on-base average.

This marked the second consecutive offseason that Alonso hit free agency. He waited a long time last year before finally agreeing to a two-year, $54 million deal to return to the Mets that included an opt-out after the first season.

Playing for a big contract again, Alonso turned in one of the best years of his career in 2025. He hit .272/.347/.524 with 38 homers in 162 games. His .368 wOBA ranked 12th among all qualified hitters.

Following the Mets' season-ending loss to the Miami Marlins on the final day of the regular season, Alonso announced he would be exercising his opt out.

In a market that didn't have a lot of impact power bats available, Alonso stood out as a player who could help transform any lineup.

There's plenty of risk in making this level of commitment to a bat-only player who will be 31 at the start of next season, but the one thing that Alonso has always done is hit homers.

Alonso is also a player who has stepped up his game in the biggest moments. He owns a .278/.429/.574 slash line in 16 career playoff games.

The Orioles are betting big on Alonso continuing to hit the way he has throughout his career as they pursue a deep playoff run in 2026.

After a disappointing season all around in Baltimore, the front office certainly seems to be putting an emphasis on upgrading the offense going into 2026.

The Orioles surprisingly dealt Grayson Rodriguez from their already-thin starting rotation to the Los Angeles Angels for Taylor Ward on Nov. 18.

Rodriguez, who is only 26, didn't pitch last season due to an elbow injury that required surgery in August.

Ward hit a career-high 36 homers and slugged .475 in 157 games for the Angels in 2025. Jackson Holliday, Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg tied for the Orioles team lead with 17 homers, for comparison.

The addition of Alonso certainly gives the Orioles another power bat who can slot into the middle of their order. If you also expect a return to form for Henderson, who was nearly a five WAR player in a down season by his standards, it's not unreasonable to expect the Orioles will have one of the best lineups in the AL in 2026.

It remains unclear how the Orioles will get opposing hitters out given the current state of their pitching staff, but their lineup looks like it could be a lot of fun to watch.