Orioles provide former Guardians coach with free agent splash Cleveland never would

The rich keep getting richer. 

On Wednesday the Orioles inked star first baseman Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million deal, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The deal is the highest average annual value ever for a first baseman. 

While the Guardians were never in for Alonso, his deal with the Orioles gives new Baltimore skipper (and former Guardians associate manager) Craig Albernaz with another dangerous player in the middle of what’s becoming one of baseball’s best lineups. 

Former Guardians associate manager Craig Albernaz will have no shortage of sluggers in his Orioles lineup 

Alonso’s defection to the Orioles after spending the first seven years of his career with the Mets is yet another example of an AL contender gaining a superstar, which makes Cleveland’s postseason path harder. 

We’ve already seen it happen with the Blue Jays signing Dylan Cease and the Red Sox trading for Sonny Gray, but Alonso ending up in Baltimore is a complete game-changer. While their pitching rotation is still very much in flux, their lineup is now one of the best in baseball. 

The Orioles already added to their lineup with their trade of Taylor Ward (who was an ideal target for the Guardians), but Alonso is on a different level. He’s slugged 264 home runs in his seven MLB seasons (which is the Mets all-time home run record) and now will be the centerpiece of the Orioles lineup for the next half-decade. 

It also shines more of a light on the fact the Guardians haven’t added to their offense after having one of the worst offenses in baseball last season. 

Although that inaction has been nullified a bit by the lack of impact moves made by the rest of the teams in the division, the Guardians should have their eyes on more than just a third straight division title. 

And, as such, they’ll eventually run into one of the AL’s other contenders, all of whom have been mainstays on the hot stove. 

There’s no denying the Guardians’ front office is in a tough spot since they need to give more chances to young players like Chase DeLauter, CJ Kayfus and George Valera, but there’s also no denying that they’re going to need to make some kind of external addition to their lineup. 

It’s a tough needle to thread, but it’s the position they’ve put themselves in. 

The Guardians will always be in the thick of things in the division thanks to the presence of manager Stephen Vogt and third baseman José Ramírez, but there’s only so much they can do.

Albernaz was a big part of that success, but now he’s going to be on the top step of a dugout holding a lineup card that reads like an All-Star team.