Coming off a stellar 2023 campaign, the Baltimore Orioles are determined to take the next step in 2024. Is a blockbuster trade their best hope of doing so?
If so, there’s arguably no team better positioned to pull off such a move.
Baltimore entered the season with the number one farm system in the MLB, and they’ve shown they’re not afraid to put prospects in the middle to pull off such a deal.
Enter the New York Mets and Pete Alonso, who Lead MLB Writer Zachary D. Rymer tabbed as a potential fit for the Orioles should they seek external upgrades this season in an April 2 column for Bleacher Report.
Alonso, fresh off of an All-Star season in 2023, produces home runs and RBIs at a clip above most in the MLB.
“Those are Alonso’s specialties, as he leads all hitters with 193 home runs and 499 runs batted in since 2019,” Rymer wrote. “He’s a textbook definition of a middle-of-the-order hitter, and there’s never been a team that couldn’t have been improved by adding one of those.”
Rymer also cited the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, and San Diego Padres as teams that would be a fit for Alonso.
A Mets Extension Looks Unlikely for Alonso
Alonso is in his final season under Mets control, after signing five consecutive one-year deals since 2020.
But the 29-year-old is only getting older. And the Mets, well, they’re not getting any better. New York’s had just one above .500 finish in their last four seasons, and they’re winless through four games to start 2024.
That, in combination with team owner Steve Cohen’s recent comments, makes an extension seem increasingly unlikely.
Cohen told ESPN on March 17, “We haven’t had any discussion and I think at this point, for Pete, it’s best for him to go and have a great year and not be distracted,” when asked about a potential Alonso extension.
Spotrac projects the Mets starting first baseman to net a nine-year, $292-million deal come 2024 free agency.
If there’s truly been little to no traction on an extension, then Alonso may have indeed played his final Opening Day game as a Met.
But if he’s on the way out of the Big Apple, does Baltimore make sense?
Why Would the Orioles Trade for Alonso?
Two things should stand out to teams looking at acquiring Alonso: his bat and his price tag.
Baltimore’s season-opening series against the Los Angeles Angels showed they are capable of converting big hits. They won the series with two out of three wins, but even with a loss managed a 14-run scoring differential.
Then there’s the price tag. What could Alonso net on the trade market?
MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel wrote “He’ll make more than $20 million in his last year of arbitration because of his big counting stats, so his trade value is middling: something like a prospect that ranks in the 101-200 area of a prospect list,” in a December 23 column for ESPN.
That’s a small price to pay for an All-Star first baseman.
If you factor Alonso’s potency at the plate with what it would take to get him, it seems a trade worth considering, even with the Orioles bats somewhat hot to start the season.
And especially if Baltimore is looking to put last season’s AL Division Series elimination firmly in the rearview.
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Orioles Linked to Trade for Projected $292 Million Superstar