Blue Jays’ path to an AL East repeat narrows as Orioles sign Pete Alonso

ORLANDO, Fla. — The pathway to repeating as American League champions just got notably more challenging for the Blue Jays.

As the Winter Meetings drew to a close here on Wednesday, the baseball world was abuzz with word that slugging first baseman Pete Alonso had agreed to a five-year, $155-million US contract with the Baltimore Orioles.

The injection of that bat into the O’s lineup immediately will bolster their prospects of climbing out of the division basement and provide a stout challenge to the heavyweights of the division, including the Jays, who captured the crown with a 94-win season in 2025.

Alonso, the long-time Mets power hitter had stayed in New York in 2025 on a one-year $30-million US deal after failing to get the long-term contract he was seeking last winter.

The bet on himself was a nice score for Alonso, who belted 38 homers and drove in 126 runs with the Mets while hitting .272.

Now the five-time all star brings all that punch to the AL East, often regarded as the toughest division in baseball.

And suddenly the Orioles appear to be back in the mix after a precipitous drop over the past couple of seasons, including a last-place 75-87 campaign in 2025. The previous year they were second to the New York Yankees with 91 wins, which followed the breakout 101-win, first-place season in 2023.

Headlined by Alonso, the Orioles lineup features a tantalizing mix of young and veteran players such as Gunnar Henderson, Taylor Ward, Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holiday and more.

Interestingly in a Blue Jays context, the Alonso deal will make him the highest-paid first baseman on an annual basis, surpassing Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr., among others.

Throughout his career, Alonso has been money in terms of hitting for power, smashing at least 34 homers in each of the previous five seasons with the Mets.

His arrival in the American League and expectations that the Red Sox and Yankees both will be improved, sets the table for a compelling challenge for the Jays in their quest to repeat as division champs.

As the meetings wound up here, Jays management has made it clear that there is still some unfinished business and adding an impact bat is at the top of their December wish list.

To varying degrees, the team appears to still be in pursuit of their former all-star shortstop, Bo Bichette, and Kyle Tucker, who is widely regarded as the best remaining offensive threat on the market.

“We’re coming off a really, really good offensive year in a lot of different ways that we did it and scored runs,” manager John Schneider said this week. “You feel good about your offensive, but adding would be nice. I think that’s a priority.”