Something feels different this offseason. How to put it? The Baltimore Orioles are … relevant? They’re a player in the AL East, a spending threat, a real free agent destination, for perhaps the first time in our lifetime.

The organization was already making waves at the Winter Meetings when reports emerged this week that the Orioles matched Philadelphia’s five-year, $150 million offer to Kyle Schwarber, and also linked them to top-tier starting pitching like Ranger Suárez, Edward Cabrera, and Michael King.

Now, they’ve topped themselves by signing slugging first baseman Pete Alonso, who agreed to an even more lucrative five-year, $155 million deal on Wednesday morning. It’s the second-richest deal ever signed by the team, and a kind of boldness that fans have been begging for, but would

See Full Page