ORLANDO, Fla. — And just like that, the Orioles might have one of the best lineups in the American League.
The Orioles on Wednesday signed slugger Pete Alonso, a five-time All-Star and two-time Home Run Derby champion, to a five-year, $155 million contract, a source confirmed to The Baltimore Sun. The “Polar Bear” brings a steadying presence to a team that floundered in 2025 as well as one of the most powerful bats in baseball with 264 home runs in seven seasons with the New York Mets.
But what spot in the lineup could Alonso’s home runs come from in Baltimore?
Alonso will almost certainly hit in the Nos. 3 or 4 hole with the Orioles, but how the rest of the lineup — Gunnar Henderson, Taylor Ward and others — shapes out remains an unanswered question.
Here are five projected lineups the Orioles could have in 2026 after their addition of Alonso:
(Editor’s note: The projected lineups are based on players presently on the Orioles’ 40-man roster. It does not consider players who could be traded away, nor players who could be added later this offseason.)
vs. RHP (Henderson leadoff)
The biggest question for the Orioles’ lineup is: Who should lead off?
Henderson, the Orioles’ best all-around player, is perhaps the simplest option. He’s hit leadoff more than any other spot in the lineup through the first four seasons of his career, though he spent most of 2025 in the No. 3 hole. Henderson’s power-speed combination is among the best in baseball, and he also sports a high batting average and above-average walk rate.
Jackson Holliday could also be a candidate to lead off after he did so for most of 2025, though the additions of Ward and Alonso could push the 22-year-old down in the order to maximize the lineup after he posted a .690 OPS in 2025.
Ward, Jordan Westburg and Adley Rutschman could all be candidates to be in the No. 2 hole. Ward, in this projection, gets the nod given his combination of power (36 homers in 2025) and patience (75 walks). Westburg is a strong option to hit in the heart of the order given his success at the plate early in his career, especially with runners in scoring position (.298 average, .939 OPS).
Alonso has spent more time in the cleanup spot in his career, though he did split his time almost equally between the Nos. 3 and 4 holes last season. After Rutschman in the No. 5 hole, three of the final four hitters are left-handed — a challenge new manager Craig Albernaz will face as he attempts to prevent lefty pockets in his lineup. Last season, Henderson frequently faced southpaw relievers because of how lefty-heavy Baltimore was — a weakness that Ward and Alonso could turn into a strength.
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To break up the lefty pocket, Tyler O’Neill bats eighth after youngsters Samuel Basallo and Holliday. Colton Cowser would hit ninth before Henderson, giving Albernaz the option to pinch-hit a right-handed hitter off the bench if Cowser is facing a lefty reliever.
- Gunnar Henderson, SS*
- Taylor Ward, LF
- Jordan Westburg, 3B
- Pete Alonso, 1B
- Adley Rutschman, C^
- Samuel Basallo, DH*
- Jackson Holliday, 2B*
- Tyler O’Neill, RF
- Colton Cowser, CF*
(Editor’s note: * denotes left-handed hitter; ^ denotes switch-hitter)
vs. RHP (Ward leadoff)
When the Orioles acquired Ward, it was assumed he’d hit in the middle of the Orioles’ order as a power righty bat.
But the acquisition of Alonso could create the opportunity to maximize Henderson by putting him in the No. 2 hole after Ward in the leadoff spot. Ward is one of the most patient hitters in MLB. In 2025, he ranked 11th among qualified hitters in pitches per plate appearance at 4.21, well ahead of any other Orioles player. He swung less often (37.6%) than every hitter other than Juan Soto. Ward swung at just 53.6% of pitches in the strike zone. His 11.3% walk rate was in the 82nd percentile, while his 20.7% chase rate was in the 92nd percentile, according to Baseball Savant.
With Ward leading off, it creates a smaller lefty pocket since Henderson is moved to the No. 2 hole. A right-handed pinch hitter can be used for Basallo or Cowser if a lefty reliever is brought in with runners on base.
- Taylor Ward, LF
- Gunnar Henderson, SS*
- Jordan Westburg, 3B
- Pete Alonso, 1B
- Adley Rutschman, C^
- Samuel Basallo, DH*
- Tyler O’Neill, RF
- Jackson Holliday, 2B*
- Colton Cowser, CF*
vs. RHP (Beavers in RF)
The addition of Ward makes Dylan Beavers’ immediate future in Baltimore a tad murky. Assuming he’s on the roster next season and not included in a package to acquire a starting pitcher, the Orioles will certainly want Beavers, who impressed with a .375 on-base percentage in 35 games last season, to be more of a part-time player than simply a bench piece.
In the above lineups, the Orioles have two players with injury histories that could incentivize the club to give them regular days off. O’Neill played only 54 games last season in the first year of his three-year, $49.5 million contract, while Basallo, 21, has suffered multiple injuries over the past few years and is not yet accustomed to the rigors of a 162-game season.
Putting Beavers in right field one or two times a week could allow O’Neill to get off his feet and be available off the bench. Or it could move O’Neill, a below average defender last season, to the designated hitter spot and give Basallo a breather, perhaps for day games after he caught the night before.
- Taylor Ward, LF
- Gunnar Henderson, SS*
- Jordan Westburg, 3B
- Pete Alonso, 1B
- Adley Rutschman, C^
- Jackson Holliday, 2B*
- Tyler O’Neill, DH
- Dylan Beavers, RF*
- Colton Cowser, CF*
vs. LHP (Henderson leadoff)
Where the lineup could get tricky is against left-handed starting pitchers.
In 2023, the Brandon Hyde-led Orioles led off Henderson against righties and either Austin Hays or Rutschman against lefties. In 2024, Henderson was mostly Baltimore’s everyday leadoff hitter no matter the handedness of the pitcher, until the club acquired Austin Slater at the deadline and hit him leadoff against southpaws. It’s possible that having a string of right-handed sluggers could convince Albernaz to not alter the consistency of the top half of his lineup.
If the Orioles don’t part ways with Ryan Mountcastle this offseason, he would be a strong candidate to platoon with Basallo. Mountcastle is a career .282 hitter with an .813 OPS versus lefties. It’s possible he could periodically fill in for Alonso at first base, giving the “Polar Bear” a rest at DH since the former is a better defender.
Until May 2025, the Orioles platooned Holliday, benching him against lefties. Given the makeup of their roster — and his improvement versus southpaws as last season progressed — it’s unlikely that returns in 2026. However, it is possible with Cowser, who also struggles versus southpaws, though the Orioles don’t currently have a legitimate right-handed option to spell Cowser in center field.
- Gunnar Henderson, SS*
- Taylor Ward, LF
- Jordan Westburg, 3B
- Pete Alonso, DH
- Adley Rutschman, C^
- Tyler O’Neill, RF
- Jackson Holliday, 2B*
- Ryan Mountcastle, 1B
- Colton Cowser, CF*
vs. LHP (Ward leadoff)
If Ward is Baltimore’s regular leadoff hitter, or Albernaz chooses to have Ward man the top spot versus lefties, Henderson could slide to the No. 2 hole with the protection of Westburg and Alonso after him.
Ward leading off would allow the Orioles to have Mountcastle a spot higher in the lineup, increasing his odds of getting three at-bats against the lefty starter, or helping end his day early. Basallo would be on the bench ready to pinch hit for Mountcastle against a right-handed reliever.
- Taylor Ward, LF
- Gunnar Henderson, SS*
- Jordan Westburg, 3B
- Pete Alonso, DH
- Adley Rutschman, C^
- Tyler O’Neill, RF
- Ryan Mountcastle, 1B
- Jackson Holliday, 2B*
- Colton Cowser, CF*
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.