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There was major MLB free agency news on Wednesday, as longtime New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso signed a deal with the Baltimore Orioles. The news was a hot-button topic on WFAN, ESPN New York, and 105.7 The Fan.
The news broken by ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan revealed that Alonso had inked a five-year, $155 million deal to join the Baltimore Orioles beginning in 2026.
WFAN
On WFAN, the news broke as Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata were on the air.
“Met fans are gonna lose their minds,” Tierney said as the news came in. “I respect that. For me, there’s a better way to build a team. But Met fans, I feel you.”
Remember, the industry source that I talked about weeks ago was saying the Mets aren’t going to budge this time,” Licata added. “Nobody wanted to hear that. It’s a reality. The Mets had their line in the sand. At three years, he started to get the feeling that there would be at least one team to go higher based on what Schwarber got yesterday. Not surprising to see Pete get five years, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who signed him. Doesn’t matter how much he got. Bottom line is, Pete Alonso is no longer New York Met.”
ESPN New York
Michael Kay reacted to the news to begin his show on Wednesday afternoon, sharing that he felt sorry for fans of the Mets.
“It’s another bad day for Met fans,” said Kay. “Moments ago, our very own Jeff Passan reporting that the Orioles and Pete Alonso are in agreement, working on final details of a five-year, $155 million contract. So you don’t have to get out the calculators, that’s $31 million a year. It was obvious. We’ve been saying this for a couple of weeks to you, the Mets were not going over three years for Pete Alonso. At most, I thought that they would push it to four. Well, when the Orioles went to five years, $155 million, the Mets tapped out and said, ‘We are out.’
Kay added that he believed the team signed the first baseman last year due to insistence from the fan base, but wouldn’t be swayed into doing it again.
“(Mets owner) Steve Cohen is very, very aware of what the Met fans want,” said Kay. “I believe that last year they signed Alonso because of what the Met fans showered on Steve Cohen at their event at Citi Field. They made it known that they wanted Alonso back, and Cohen stepped in and gave him that two-year deal, which is essentially a one-year deal.”
105.7 The Fan
In Baltimore, the reaction was remarkably different, as one might expect. On 105.7 The Fan, Vinny & Haynie host Bob Haynie shared his excitement for the move.
“This is a huge deal,” Haynie said. “This, to me, is a bigger splash than Kyle Schwarber, who is a DH. And this is some pretty significant news. I didn’t think they bust one like this when down in Orlando, but Pete Alonso is coming to Baltimore.”
Haynie added that he imagines that the station will still receive phone calls from angry listeners who believe the Baltimore Orioles haven’t done enough to be competitive.
“I’m assuming that there are still some fans out there that will bitch and complain about this one, because that’s what fans do,” Haynie said. “They’re never satisfied. Just give them a little more.”
He concluded by calling the free agent signing “one of the biggest” the franchise has made “in quite some time.”
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