1 Unavoidable Truth Plaguing Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are in a new era, as they have a new manager in Craig Albernaz, and general manager Mike Elias was promoted to president of baseball operations in September. On top of that, they signed five-time All-Star Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million contract in December.

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The Orioles signaled an intention to compete with that signing after finishing last place in 2025. Alonso is the New York Mets' all-time franchise home run leader and is one of the best power-hitters in baseball, so adding him to a core headlined by star shortstop Gunnar Henderson made the lineup scary on paper.

However, that hasn't translated to the field so far in 2026. Alonso entered Friday's game against the New York Yankees slashing .198/.306/.362 with four homers and 13 RBIs over 31 games, although he did hit a solo homer in the second inning on Friday. Still, the 31-year-old hasn't been nearly as effective as usual given that he entered Friday with a career .851 OPS.

Alonso hit .272 with an .871 OPS, 38 homers, and 126 RBIs over 162 games for the Mets last year, but they didn't bring him back. That allowed Baltimore to make the Florida native its highest-paid player, as his $21 million payroll salary in 2026 tops the roster, per Spotrac. Starting pitcher Chris Bassitt is second at $18.5 million.

While Alonso can't be entirely blamed for Baltimore's 15-16 record entering Friday, it'll be hard for the club to maek the playoffs if he doesn't improve. Luckily, there's still plenty of time for the slugger to turn it around.

Taylor Ward Giving Orioles Return on InvestmentBaltimore Orioles designated hitter Taylor Ward (3). © Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

One offseason move that's yielded a better result for Baltimore is the Taylor Ward trade. The team acquired the 32-year-old outfielder from the Los Angeles Angels for starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez in November, and he was slashing .304/.438/.443 over 31 games entering Friday.

Ward isn't a star, but he's the type of reliable veteran that every contending squad needs. The 6-foot, 205-pounder notched a career-high 36 homers and 103 RBIs with a .792 OPS over 157 games for the Angels last season, and he's maintained his momentum into this year. Entering Friday, he led the Orioles in batting average, on-base percentage (.438), and hits (35).

Ward is in his final arbitration season, so Baltimore will have to re-sign him this year to keep him off the open market this winter. A strong start through March and April isn't enough to invest in him long-term, but the front office will have something to think about if his current form continues.

Up next for the Orioles is a rematch with the Yankees on Saturday at 1:35 p.m. ET. Right-handed pitcher Kyle Bradish will start for Baltimore against southpaw Ryan Weathers.

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