The Orioles, as a collective unit, have failed in 2026. Some players got hurt, some players struggled, and a few were traded away. The team will finish with a losing record and miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Few things have worked out, but there’s one thing that cannot be questioned—Pete Alonso delivered in his first season in Baltimore.
The organization entered the last offseason looking to make a splash, and they found their match with Alonso. The Orioles reportedly offered
free agent Kyle Schwarber a similar deal, but Schwarber elected to return to Philadelphia at five years, $150 million. Shortly after, the Birds inked Alonso to five years and $155 million.
Schwarber has been as advertised in Philadelphia—he leads the NL in home runs and strikeouts—so the deal appears to have worked out just fine. However, the big slugger has only started 10 games in the field. Alonso, on the other hand, has developed into a plus defender at first base.
Baltimore entered the year with Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo already on the roster. Injuries to Mountcastle and Jordan Westburg eventually created room on the infield, but the Birds never let a crowded unit stop them from acquiring a top talent.
The same cannot be said for the rotation. Baltimore sent a king’s ransom to Tampa Bay for Shane Baz, but they stopped short of acquiring one of the top starters on the market. The Orioles may have believed that Baz, Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers had the makings of a big three, but the unit never achieved that level.
Everyone can remember how they felt about the offseason at the time, but how do you feel now? It’s difficult to truly assess the moves when the team fell so short of expectations. Adding a true ace may have helped, but this team was more than one signing away from a successful 2026.
Before the Orioles were all but eliminated, many wondered why a struggling Gunnar Henderson continued to get at bats at the top of the order. Baltimore skipper Craig Albernaz said that this team would not get where it wanted to go if Gunnar Henderson didn’t play like Gunnar Henderson. He was right, but Henderson never came close to his 8.8 bWAR season from 2023.
As we approach the offseason, it’s fair to wonder if Gunnar Henderson is ever going to play like 2023 Gunnar Henderson. Maybe 2025 and 2026 Gunnar Henderson is the real Gunnar Henderson? Will the real Gunnar Henderson please stand up?
What if it’s not the right Gunnar Henderson? Can the 2027 Orioles get to where they want to go? The organization is shaking things up with Matt Blood moving on, but Craig Albernaz and Mike Elias appear positioned to remain with the club.
The Orioles will enter the offseason with money to spend under David Rubenstein, but the Alonso signing proved that one good deal is not enough to make a difference. However, Alonso’s success could say something about his approach and how it compares to that of the organization.
Alonso entered the clubhouse as an unquestioned star. There were never any reports that Alonso rebuffed the coaching staff, and he routinely received praise for his leadership traits. At the same time, Alonso was never in need of any coaching. He brought an approach that worked, and he deployed it night after night. The slugger described home runs as “happy accidents” and credited his dedication to hitting the ball hard to all fields. Alonso leads Major League Baseball with 17 opposite-field home runs.
Meanwhile, guys like Henderson, Jackson Holliday and Colton Cowser struggled to maximize their skills. Where does that blame go? Some falls on the player, but there’s a pattern here. Fans can speculate that it’s a pull-side approach, swinging for the fences, or all the platooning, but it’s probably a little more nuanced. I can’t tell you for sure, but I know that the Orioles need to find the root cause and make a correction.
It’s scary to think how much harder this season would have been to watch without Alonso playing every day. The former Met entered last night’s game with 16 more homers and 45 more RBIs than any other Oriole. Baltimore does deserve credit for giving the money to the Polar Bear and not another free agent. Bo Bichette has been worth only 0.7 WAR after slashing .263/.312/.392 with 17 homers. Kyle Tucker holds similar numbers with 17 bombs, a .234/.334/.393 line, and 1.1 bWAR. Alonso entered last night’s game with a 4.6 bWAR.
The Orioles should enter the offseason looking for outside help in the outfield, the bullpen, and the starting rotation. The team could struggle to attract top infield talent with Henderson, Alonso, and Jordan Westburg set to return, but a quality second baseman could play over Jackson Holliday and Blaze Alexander. Backup catcher Carlos Narváez has struggled at the plate when hitting for Samuel Basallo.
The team should know better than to tinker with Alonso after a borderline MVP season, but the team needs to rethink their development approach at the major league level. If the Orioles make that change, and whether they learn anything from Alonso’s success, could go a lot further than one big free agent signing heading into next season.
