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In the short term, Alonso will make the Orioles better. They needed the upgrade at first base from what, mostly, Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle provided last year -- .243/.310/.369, with a 92 wRC+ that was 22nd among 30 teams. As Keith Law pointed out, the Orioles really needed help from the right side after hitting .231/.297/.364 against southpaws last year. Alonso is 0.8 DH at this point, awkward around the bag and reminiscent of Frank Thomas as a thrower, but he has been durable. Steamer sees a 130 wRC+ and about three wins, I might take the under on that, but not by much. Alonso bounced back last year by absolutely wrecking the balls he made contact on -- seventh in MLB in expected slugging, 11th in hard-hit rate, the highest barrel rate of his career.
Alonso wasn’t the best hitter on the market, but he was the best right-handed hitter available who didn’t play a position Baltimore has locked down already. The last couple of years of this deal, Alonso’s age-34 and age-35 campaigns, may be rough. Whether the contract pays off for the Orioles will depend on whether Alonso can retain the hard-hit skills he showed last year through 2027 and 2028.
