The Baltimore Orioles will head into the 2026 season with key changes, hoping they will be enough to bring the team back into playoff contention. The first major move came with the hiring of Craig Albernaz as manager. Albernaz arrives from the Cleveland Guardians, where he served as bench coach, and now takes on the challenge of leading Baltimore’s young roster.
The Orioles also made their biggest free-agent splash in years, signing first baseman Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million deal. Alonso spent his first seven MLB seasons with the New York Mets, who elected not to bring him back, opening the door for Baltimore to add one of the league’s premier power hitters. He is expected to slot directly into the middle of the lineup, giving the Orioles a dangerous new look offensively.
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Beyond his production, Alonso already appears to be a strong cultural fit in Baltimore and has quickly built chemistry with his new manager. During his introductory press conference, Alonso spoke about the type of culture Albernaz would bring.
“Craig just did an unbelievable job just kind of like outlining like just like manager style and also like just kind of like just overall baseball philosophies just how he approaches the game and I mean it’s just like yeah that’s that’s gonna be the guy that’s gonna be the guy driving the ship and I mean that’s that’s really special,” he said.
Alonso continued, “I mean again I feel like this is gonna be a type of situation, like, as we kind of grow chemistry, get closer over time. And during the regular season that has that, it’s like, listen, everyone’s going to want to run through a wall for each other. You know, that’s going to be the type of culture I feel like that’s what we need and that’s what we’re going to have.”
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With Albernaz setting the tone in the dugout and Alonso anchoring the lineup, the Orioles enter 2026 with renewed optimism. Alonso is coming off a season in which he hit .272 with a .347 on-base percentage and an .871 OPS, while adding 38 home runs and 126 RBIs across all 162 games, showcasing his durability.
The former Rookie of the Year is a five-time All-Star, two-time Home Run Derby champion and Silver Slugger winner, giving Baltimore both proven production and star power. The combination of a fresh managerial voice and a premier slugger could be exactly what Baltimore needs to take the next step toward postseason contention.