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First baseman Pete Alonso is off to a tough start in his first year as a Baltimore Oriole.

Over the offseason, one of the most sought-after MLB free agents was Pete Alonso. The two teams most often mentioned to him were the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles, along with his former team, the New York Mets.

As is the case with every free-agent chase, Alonso met with the teams interested in his services to pitch him on joining their team. It was widely thought that the Mets and Red Sox were the two front-runners. However, when the dust settled, he ended up signing with the Orioles.

This past weekend, the Red Sox were in Baltimore for a three-game series, their first meeting of 2026. Alonso was speaking with the media before Game 2 and a 17-1 Boston win and explained why the Orioles were the perfect landing spot for him.

Baltimore Orioles Pete Alonso Explains Signing Over the Boston Red Sox & New York Mets

It was rather surprising when Alonso signed with Baltimore. It was going to be either the Mets or the Red Sox. Alonso explained why it was the Orioles in the end. He did like the Red Sox pitch.

“They had a lot of really good things to say, and they’ve got some really good people over there,” Alonso said, per Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. “I really respect them. For me, I think this was the best situation for me. I feel I’m in the best possible spot.”

Baltimore gave Alonso a five-year, $155 million contract. If we’re being honest, that is not something the Boston Red Sox would hand out. Times have changed with their ownership.

It has been a rocky start for Alonso with the Orioles. Through the first month of the season, he is slashing .196/.301/.336 with three home runs and 10 runs driven in following the Red Sox series. Baltimore is sitting at 13-15 and five games behind the New York Yankees. This is not what Alonso and the Orioles envisioned how the season would begin.

Baltimore Orioles Helped By Logistics

Who said logistics doesn’t matter? Alonso lives in Tampa, Florida, and Baltimore’s spring training facility is in Sarasota, Florida, which allows him to live at home during February and March. A huge plus, along with the money from Mike Elias and the front office.

“For me, got to live at home (during spring training) and commute every day to Sarasota,” Alonso said. “That’s a huge thing.”

Now, the question is, can the Orioles build a winner around Alonso? That’s going to be tough for an organization that doesn’t always spend a lot of money. The American League East is loaded with the Yankees, Red Sox, and the defending AL champs, the Toronto Blue Jays. Furthermore, who had the Tampa Bay Rays at 16-11? You can never count out the low-spending Rays. Ever.

There is still a lot of baseball left in 2026. There are still four years remaining on Alonso’s contract after 2026. A lot can change. However, the early returns have not been what Alonso hoped, but he is where he feels is the best situation. Time will tell if it was the right move.