Pete Alonso signing with the Mets provides more clarity on the Orioles 2025 roster

Late Wednesday night, Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that the NY Mets had come to terms with their beloved slugging first baseman Pete Alonso on a two-year contract worth $54 million. It had long been rumored that Alonso was seeking a long-term deal in free agency, with Scott Boras even coming out and using Prince Fielder's 9-year, $214 million deal as a potential starting point.

Many laughed that comparison off, but we did still expect Alonso to get a significant contract somewhere. Unfortunately for him and Boras, that deal never materialized. It was reported that Alonso had previously turned down a three-year deal from those same Mets, that being in the $70 million range, in favor of what they hoped at the time would be greener pastures elsewhere.

When Alonso turned that initial offer down, reports started to surface about how the Mets would replace him at first base. They seemingly had a perfect solution already on the roster in Mark Vientos. Alonso is an adept slugger but he's really a one-tool player. He's an iffy defensive first baseman who has hit a combined .229 over the past two seasons and doesn't offer any significant base running skill.

Vientos, on the other hand, is arguably just a younger version of Alonso. In 2024, Vientos hit .266/.322/.516 with 27 homers in 114 games with New York last year. He hasn't been particularly strong over at third base and profiles more as a first baseman or a designated hitter moving forward, assuming the hitting ability sticks.

Pete Alonso's return to New York likely takes Ryan Mountcastle off the trade market for the foreseeable future

So with Vientos on the roster and Alonso seemingly lost to free agency, there were a few rumors about the Mets being in contact with the Orioles about acquiring first baseman Ryan Mountcastle to help back-fill that role on their roster.

It's unclear how far down the path those trade talks actually got. The Orioles have seemed content running into 2025 with Mountcastle as their primary option at first, especially given the fact that he's set to benefit significantly with the left field wall in Baltimore being moved closer to home plate. Outside of that connection to New York, there haven't been any serious rumors about Mountcastle or the Orioles' willingness to move him.

Given Alonso's return to Queens, we can say with confidence that Mountcastle will be in Baltimore on Opening Day. For one, he'd be a buy-low candidate in any potential trade but it doesn't seem likely that Mike Elias will look to move him before the trade deadline. And for another, there just aren't that many potential landing spots that make a ton of sense this late in the offseason.

Most teams have their rosters essentially set as we get ready for pitchers and catchers to report to spring training next week. While there are a few glaring names left on the free agent market, none of them are first basemen. Alonso returning to the Mets likely seals Mountcastle into the role of first baseman in Baltimore, at least until Coby Mayo proves that he's ready to unseat the veteran.