ORLANDO, Fla. -- With Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo on the roster, the Orioles didn’t need another right-handed-hitting first baseman. With catcher Samuel Basallo on the roster (and expected to get time at first base), the Orioles didn’t need additional options to play first.

But Baltimore couldn’t resist the idea of adding slugger Pete Alonso to the heart of its lineup, as the club agreed to a five-year, $155 million deal with the Polar Bear on Wednesday (according to a source), making a major splash before leaving the Winter Meetings in Orlando.

President of baseball operations Mike Elias made it clear on Monday that positional logjams would not be taken into consideration during the O’s pursuit of an impact bat. He backed up those comments by acquiring Alonso and thrusting

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