Scott Boras says the quiet part out loud about Orioles signing Pete Alonso

Eric Cole

Apr 14, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Sports agent Scott Boras talks on a cell phone before a game between the Colrorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When the Baltimore Orioles signed Pete Alonso, it came as a bit of a surprise, but it was also a watershed moment. Mike Elias finally signed a big-time free agent (although still no huge pitching signings), and the Orioles as a franchise finally made the leap forward towards being real players in free agency again. It was a long time coming, but Alonso's agent, Scott Boras, may have just provided even more context as to why Baltimore pulled the trigger.

During a recent appearance on New York Post Sports' The Show, Boras discussed Alonso's free agency and value as a player. During the course of the discussion, it became very clear that Baltimore had a much more bullish outlook on Alonso than some of his other suitors this past offseason.

Pete Alonso's aptitude with runners on base was very attractive to the Orioles during their offseason pursuit of offensive help

It would be easy to say that "the Orioles wanted home runs and Alonso hits them" as the explanation for Baltimore's pursuit. However, Boras noted that there were a few teams, including the Orioles, that had noticed Alonso's propensity to deliver with runners on base. It certainly helps that one of the ways he has been known to deliver is via the long ball, but there is no denying that the guy can drive in runs with or without homers. The numbers don’t lie, and in his career, Alonso has an .895 OPS with runners on base, and he has been even better (.933) with runners in scoring position.

This is important given the state of the Orioles' lineup. They had some talented players to be sure, but lacked that lineup cornerstone outside of Gunnar Henderson that they could rely on night in, night out to produce. Alonso does have his flaws, but the Orioles clearly thought he could provide Henderson with a lineup companion that could consistently do damage. As a result, they were very clearly the most aggressive team in pursuing Alonso, and it sounds like they were far and away the team with the best offer.

Of course, that is the theory behind signing Alonso. The early spring returns are great, but Alonso is going to have to actually do the heavy lifting now that he is under contract for the deal to make sense. Boras may hype up his clients at every available opportunity, but that doesn't mean what he is selling them as is who they end up actually being.

Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.