The Baltimore Orioles made franchise history Friday, introducing Pete Alonso as their newest slugger in what's arguably the biggest free agent signing in team history.
The first baseman, nicknamed "The Polar Bear," wrapped up his introductory news conference at Camden Yards just minutes ago, expressing his excitement about joining the organization.
"Every time that we've come here and I've played at Camden, I've really enjoyed myself. It's a phenomenal baseball environment and it's a tremendously gorgeous park. I love playing here and getting involved in the community and kind of like immersing not just myself but my wife, my son, and our extended family like when we're here like this is gonna be home and for us we're incredibly grateful," Alonso said.
Alonso joins Baltimore after seven seasons with the New York Mets. During his introductory news conference, he said choosing the Orioles was simple.
"For me there was no hesitation at all it's like yep, that's the team, yep, these are the people, yep, Baltimore's it. I remember texting my wife I'm like, 'This is gonna be the place for us this is the place for the Alonso's and this team, this organization like this is gonna be it,'" Alonso said.
ESPN reports Alonso signed a 5-year, $155 million deal with Baltimore. The contract surpasses Chris Davis' previous franchise record of 7 years and $161 million, though Alonso's annual average value is significantly higher. The Orioles hope the power hitter brings plenty of home runs to Camden Yards. Since his 2019 rookie season, he ranks third in all of baseball with 264 home runs.
One detail to work out: Alonso wore number 20 with the Mets, but the Orioles have that number retired in honor of Frank Robinson. Owner David Rubenstein made an interesting comparison between the two players, noting both are power hitters who joined the team in their 30s. Robinson also led the Orioles to their first World Series victory the year he came to Baltimore.
Rubenstein said he hopes Alonso can also take the team to great heights.
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