The Baltimore Orioles have reportedly signed slugger Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million contract. While many fans and pundits assumed that Alonso was either returning to the New York Mets or perhaps joining the Boston Red Sox, it appears that Alonso will be flexing his talents at Camden Yards for the next half-decade.
Reactions to the Alonso news flooded social media on Wednesday afternoon. Among the analysts to offer an interesting take was Foul Territory’s Erik Kratz.
Kratz praised the Orioles for landing Alonso, but he also warned Baltimore that it still won’t be a contender unless the O’s add some quality to their starting rotation.
“Alonso will change this lineup,” Kratz said. “This is a huge step in the right direction. I just hope the Orioles are not saying, ‘Alright, we’re just gonna go with the pitchers that we got.’ … (They’re) gonna have some good pitching; I just need them to add to that pitching because then they become a formidable piece in the American League East.”
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The Orioles have two really talented arms at the top of their rotation in Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish. Outside of that dynamic duo, however, there are a lot of question marks for Baltimore as far as the rotation is concerned.
This is what Kratz was pointing at with his remarks. It was a sober reminder that the Orioles still have some work to do to truly become a threat in the loaded AL East.
Featured image via Wendell Cruz/USA TODAY Sports Images
