The Baltimore Orioles will be linked to multiple free agents throughout the offseason. With their bats going quiet during the past two playoffs, there’s no telling what the front office might decide to do.
They could look at some of the youngsters coming up and be confident in them producing at the level they need to, but as they’ve seen in October, those young guys often struggle.
It isn’t the perfect indication of the type of players they are, but it’s the reality of the situation. Playing in the postseason is the most challenging thing to do in the sport, and unfortunately, the Orioles have found that out the hard way.
If they want to improve their lineup, which would be a wise decision, they should look at a few free-agent hitters. The issue with that, however, is that Baltimore would have to spend for them to land any of the top hitters on the market.
Of those potential hitters, Pete Alonso is among the top. On paper, the idea of signing Alonso might not make the most sense. However, because their offense has produced at the level it has over the past few postseasons, teams often do things that don’t make perfect sense on paper.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report shared the same message, naming the Orioles one of the top landing spots for the slugger.
“This would be a weird spot for Baltimore to make its first legitimate splash into free agency since the last time it painfully decided to invest nine figures in a slugging first baseman (Chris Davis). They still have Ryan Mountcastle under team control for two more years, and their two best prospects (Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo) have both spent quite a bit of time playing first base. But sometimes you make strange decisions when you score one run in two games in the process of getting knocked out of the playoffs.”
For a team that struggled offensively, adding Alonso could fix some of their issues. He’s posted impressive power numbers throughout his career, hitting at least 34 home runs in the five full campaigns he’s played. That includes a year with 53.
Alonso’s potential price could be an issue for Baltimore, but don’t let this ownership group fool you; they have money to spend.
It’s an interesting fit with the existing players on the roster and the prospects coming up, but it’s tough to ignore a hitter who’s posted a career 134 OPS+.
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