Pete Alonso looked the part and won The Warehouse press conference

The newest and shiniest Baltimore Orioles addition arrived for a bizarrely timed Friday afternoon press conference at Camden Yards and won the day. Luke Jones and Nestor discuss the Pete Alonso emergence at The Warehouse alongside David Rubenstein, Mike Elias and Scott Boras and what the future holds for the slugger, whom the owner compared to Frank Robinson coming the Charm City.

Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discussed the Orioles’ acquisition of Pete Alonso, highlighting the $155 million contract and the positive impact on the team’s lineup. They criticized the timing of the press conference but praised Alonso’s engagement and the organization’s efforts. Alonso’s signing is expected to balance the lineup, with potential shifts in roles for players like Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. The conversation also touched on the need for further pitching improvements and the overall excitement surrounding the team’s offseason moves.

• [ ] Analyze potential lineup configurations with Alonso in the cleanup spot.
• [ ] Evaluate options for adding depth to the starting rotation, such as through trade or free agency.
• [ ] Follow up on any additional offseason moves the Orioles make to address their pitching needs.

Maryland Crab Cake Tour and Upcoming Events

• Nestor Aparicio discusses the Maryland crab cake tour, mentioning two more events this week and one next week.
• Nestor talks about his plans for the holidays, including a visit to Costas in Dundalk and a Christmas carol event with his former middle school teacher.
• Nestor mentions other upcoming events, including a visit to Gertrude’s at the BMA and a Planet Fitness event in Timonium.
• Nestor shares his excitement about the radio station’s activities during the holidays, including a fun event at Deep Pasquale’s.

Pete Alonso’s Signing and Press Conference Timing

• Nestor and Luke Jones discuss the timing of the press conference announcing Pete Alonso’s signing, criticizing the late Friday afternoon slot.
• Luke agrees that Friday afternoon is not the best time for a press conference but acknowledges the positive aspects of the event.
• Nestor and Luke both express positive sentiments about Pete Alonso’s engagement and the overall press conference.
• Luke mentions his column at Baltimore Positive, where he acknowledged the organization’s positive notes except for the press conference timing.

Pete Alonso’s Impressive Performance and Background

• Luke Jones praises Pete Alonso’s performance at the press conference, noting his engagement and preparation.
• Luke highlights Scott Boras’s complimentary remarks about the Orioles organization and its staff.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the financial aspect of the deal, with Luke noting that money is the driving force behind such contracts.
• Luke mentions Pete Alonso’s previous interactions with the Orioles, including his presence at the signing of Chris Davis.

Impact on the Orioles’ Lineup and Future Plans

• Nestor and Luke discuss the potential impact of Pete Alonso’s signing on the Orioles’ lineup, including the possibility of him being the cleanup hitter.
• Luke speculates on the future roles of other players like Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, suggesting a potential shift in positions.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the balance brought to the lineup by adding right-handed bats like Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward.
• Luke emphasizes the need for the young players to step up and the potential for Pete Alonso to be a force multiplier for the team.

Orioles’ Offseason Improvements and Future Expectations

• Nestor and Luke reflect on the Orioles’ offseason improvements, comparing them to other teams in baseball.
• Luke mentions the importance of acquiring a frontline starting pitcher and depth for the rotation.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the potential impact of Pete Alonso’s signing on ticket sales and fan excitement.
• Luke expresses confidence in the Orioles’ direction, noting the positive changes and the potential for future success.

Historical Context and Comparisons

• Luke draws a parallel between the Orioles’ acquisition of Pete Alonso and their past signings, mentioning Frank Robinson.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the historical significance of the signing, comparing it to other notable acquisitions in Orioles history.
• Luke highlights the importance of the timing of the signing, noting that it happened before Christmas, which is unusual for the Orioles.
• Nestor and Luke reflect on the excitement and positive energy surrounding the team, which hasn’t been felt in a long time.

Final Thoughts and Future Plans

• Nestor and Luke discuss the potential for further moves by the Orioles, including potential trades and signings.
• Luke emphasizes the need for depth in the rotation and the potential impact of adding a top-tier starting pitcher.
• Nestor and Luke reflect on the overall direction of the team, expressing optimism about the future.
• Nestor concludes the discussion by promoting upcoming events and expressing excitement for the holidays and the future of the Orioles.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Pete Alonso, Orioles, press conference, $155 million, Camden Yards, Taylor Ward, Adley Rutschman, lineup balance, starting pitcher, free agent signing, baseball offseason, team improvements, fan excitement, holiday events, Maryland crab cake tour.

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SPEAKERS

Luke Jones, Nestor Aparicio

Nestor Aparicio  00:01

Welcome home. We are W N, S T am 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We are Baltimore positive. We’re doing the Maryland crab cake tour this week, two more times, one more time next week, in advance of Santa coming down the chimney, we’re getting ready for football around here. I’m doing Maryland crab cake tour at Costas in Dundalk on Thursday. I will have candy cane cash tickets, but I have Raven scratch off the show here. Gina shocks coming over. My old middle school teacher, Calvin stadium, who’s 85 years young, singing some Christmas carols with him. He’s pulled stuff out of him. Well, I don’t even know, so I’m going to have Calvin out. That’ll be a good time. I’ll be blinded by the science of George Shulman as well, my former science teacher. Friday, we’re going to be at gertrudes at the BMA with Dan Rodricks, John shields, a whole cast of folks. John how he’s coming over from the Y then on Monday, we’re going to be at Planet Fitness in Timonium, kicking off their new location, and have some great guests coming at the Planet Fitness on Monday as well. And you’re just gonna You’re gonna love a little radio station we have here at AM 1570 through the holidays, because we had so much fun at deep pasquale’s last week with Pete coringey, Darren the sausage King, who’s now the kielbasa King too. Turns out I’m not going back on to Bank Street anymore as well. I was at honeys and halethorpe on Friday with Nick Stewart, Izzy Patoka, people running for Baltimore county executive. I had the most delicious Asian food over there. It’s a billiard hall. It’s a bar. Luke and I are going to go watch a ball game there. He doesn’t know it yet, but we are because Pete Alonso is going to play in Hale Thorpe. I’m going to tell you right now. Luke Jones, first things first. I don’t want to be a bad guy to the new ownership and stuff. And I know Mr. Rubenstein, when you’re a billionaire, you have and you have the Magna Carta and the Mona Lisa. You have obligations over the weekend, but four o’clock Friday press conference, really, I mean, like, really, like, in the press book of press books, when not to do a press conference that you’re excited about is Friday, four o’clock. Nothing wrong with 11am Monday? No. I mean, it’s no

Luke Jones  02:14

look, I agree. First of all, there are worse times than Friday. You could do it Saturday morning. You could do it like, well, that’s

Nestor Aparicio  02:21

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usually when you release the bad news, but Friday at four o’clock, well, that was in or outside of the industry. This is the way it’s been done since the beginning of time, by not just every sports franchise, but anyone that wants to spread good news, having a press conference Friday afternoons, not the way to do it. That’s I agree what they’re doing is 40 years that’s all right.

Luke Jones  02:43

I agree at the same time, it’s also not what 30 years ago, in the sense that you can go to oreos.com right now and watch the entire thing I want I rewatch the entire thing Saturday morning, but I agree with you and I in what I wrote at Baltimore positive.com which was overwhelmingly positive. And you know me, full disclosure, these press conferences, the idea of winning a press conference losing a press conference like look Pete Alonso could say all the right things, and if he hits 220 and and has Chris Davis like numbers the next five years, it’s going to be a disaster, right? Well, these

Nestor Aparicio  03:18

days tend to be very Charlie Brown. But this was that right.

Luke Jones  03:24

This was not it was fun, like I said, and I’m in agreement with you, and I acknowledge that in my second graph of my column, I flat out said the organization hit all the right notes Friday, with the exception of the sub optimal late afternoon timing of the press conference. But the rest of what I had to say, it was fun. I thought Pete Alonso was very engaging. And we all understand the Oreos are giving him $155 million right? We all understand that money is the driving force for these contracts, right? He’s not going to play for nothing. He didn’t accept some major discount, right? If the Mets had shown probably any decent effort to want to keep him, I think he would have stayed there, probably, right. But why

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Nestor Aparicio  04:15

didn’t they? I don’t know. Oh, plenty of money. He seems like a good guy.

Luke Jones  04:20

They lost Edwin Diaz too, right? They traded Nemo. I mean, like they’re, they’re kind of in a weird reloading, I mean,

Nestor Aparicio  04:28

money bags come a couple years ago and give everybody money and hire but all that stuff, right? And well,

Luke Jones  04:33

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and it doesn’t always work, right? Work? Yeah, yeah. I mean, it was so, so, right? I mean, they had some success, but not the ultimate success, but, but I think, first of all, he’s a really impressive guy. I think he really came across as engaged in the course of the press conference. He really came across as someone who did his homework on the organization. And talked about how the Orioles, in so many different ways, clicked check boxes for him. Of course, we know the money is at the top of the list,

Nestor Aparicio  05:09

is sitting there. So you know that? Oh, of course, has he ever been in the warehouse? Did you give

Luke Jones  05:15

Oh, he’s been there plenty of times. I mean, he was there when Chris Davis signed his deal, and he’s been there for when these guys are, you know, some of the younger guys on the team are drafted and and all that. But that was another one of my takeaways. Scott Boris, you listen to him talk in a press conference like that, and you understand why he’s the super agent of super agents, right? I mean, he But, but. But even with that said, he was very complimentary of the Orioles, he went out of his way at a couple points. Like, for example, he unsolicited, singled out Greg Albernaz and how impressive he was during the courtship, if you will, it to the degree that Boris said that he talked to he pulled michaelias aside after they had all met and said, like, you know, business part aside, like this, feels like this could be good, like it. And, you know, he, he didn’t have to say that, right? I mean, he gets the as much money as he can for his client, and that’s that, right? He went out of his way to say that gunner Henderson, Jordan Westberg and Jackson holiday all called him, saying how excited they were to see the Orioles make this kind of a commitment with a veteran player, right? And the idea that maybe it leads to at least one of those guys signing an extension in the next few years. Who knows, right? I mean, we talked about this a lot when Rubenstein, you know, David Rubenstein, and the new ownership group took over, we talked about, just at that point you could dream a little bit bigger, right? It was an unknown. And obviously, until this happened, the early returns haven’t exactly been great in that regard. But it was an unknown. It was a dare, dare to dream kind of scenario, right, that of bigger and better things. And the same applies when you sign Pete Alonso, when you put forth this kind of financial commitment. Not to say that anyone necessarily thinks that they’re going to become the Dodgers. But there’s a really wide range between being the Dodgers or the Mets and being the Marlins or the Pittsburgh pies.

Nestor Aparicio  07:18

Not want to play at five players getting $150 million here. You know what I mean. They might squeeze one more pitcher and one more gun or Henderson out of the money part of this, if they go in over their skis and people start coming back and giving them money again as an organization, if they figure out a revenue model and they don’t sure strike next year, and there’s a lot of ifs and buts and candies and nuts, but I would say this on Alonso, they’re paying him to be a superstar, sure, and at least he got off the boat and wore the suit on Friday. Yeah, he hits 12 home runs and he gets injured and plays in 48 games. It is what it is. We could say that about anyway, right? But he came off the plane and looked the part of a superstar of we’re going to put his picture on the wall here, you know, in the way that they should have done more with the Adam Jones, you know, could have, should have, would have, with the Angelos creeps. I, you know, I mean, I never know how to judge it. This new thing. I sort of know how to judge it. I think Eric Getty is more involved than Rubenstein. I think he’s a little bit of the weekend to Bernie’s day prop up. I think Katie Griggs is running this thing like a corporate machine. You know, they bring a guy from UFC in the whole Friday afternoon press conferences. They fire Jeff Arnold last week. They’ve been silencing their own fans on Twitter. I mean, there’s still a lot of things wrong, but they got something to build around and say that they’re trying. And I don’t know if their phones rang off the hook over the weekend, and I don’t know that anybody who’s pissed about the 13 game plan is giving them money again to run back down there, or that they sold any tickets over the weekend. But they

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Luke Jones  09:02

sold tickets. Come on, they sold some. Now, was it as many as they would have hoped,

Nestor Aparicio  09:08

$55 million worth. Okay, so it did it. They didn’t sell 2000 season tickets over the weekend for 81 game books to that are that it’s going to move the needle in I don’t know an Otani Ripken. I don’t know he’s not that kind of player. He’s a nice player. I I could sit here and say he’s better than a nice player. He’s a nice

Luke Jones  09:30

player, third and home run since 2019 he’s better than a nice player. This guy’s a five time all star. Let’s let’s not undersell who he is. He’s a heck of a player. Is he? Oh? Tani, no. Who is, but if

Nestor Aparicio  09:42

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you put his picture on the wall the warehouse, most people would have driven by it not know who it is, unless you put Pete Alonso underneath of it.

Luke Jones  09:48

Okay, how many? How many guys? How many guys fit that description right now

Nestor Aparicio  09:53

go probably not many. Not even Mike Trout, right? Or like you know, when you start to talk about point fame of baseball players? Correct? This guy was a met. I mean, you know he, he was he’s not.

Luke Jones  10:05

That’s what I’m saying. He’s more than a nice player, and wasn’t playing Colorado. You know what? I mean, sure. And I would say baseball fans know, if you’re a baseball fan and you don’t know who, Pete Alonso is not

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Nestor Aparicio  10:18

much of a baseball fan, well, and put his face on the warehouse wall. They’re going to, they’re going to, oh, and, but, and he was the part on fry. He does. I mean, yeah, I’m,

Luke Jones  10:29

this is a big deal. Look, humor me for a moment here. I mean, David Rubenstein, who I have been the first to say when at times when he’s spoken, hasn’t necessarily been overly impressive. I actually think when he drew a compare a parallel to the Orioles acquiring Frank Robinson back in 1966 I think he landed it. It was okay. Like, look, that’s isn’t me saying Pete Alonso is Frank Robinson. Let’s be clear. But the parallel of having young players, talented players, some success, the Orioles had had some success prior to 66 they had a heck of a season in 1964 they were good in 1961 but they hadn’t gotten over the top, right? They hadn’t broken through. So wild card, yeah, I mean, you didn’t have the vision. So, I mean, it was just the American League. American League, in the National League trying to keep your Ken Burns here, right, right. But my point with that is, you know, he, he made, David Rubenstein made a pretty bold comparison there. And guess what? Peter wants. A sincerely seemed touched by that. He even pointed out that Peter Lonzo wore number 20 with the with the Mets, and now, of course, will not be wearing number 20 with the Orioles wearing 25 but for something that was offering a historical perspective, which someone in his 70s is going to do. I mean, he was self deprecating, saying, I’m the oldest person in the room. All that it kind of worked. It was a little corny, but, like, it corny in a good way. And like I said, Pete Alonso really came unless he’s a heck of an actor, really came across as, like, man, that’s pretty cool. Like, for the owner to say that about me was the

Nestor Aparicio  12:13

biggest decision in his life, too, to leave. Yeah.

Luke Jones  12:16

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I mean, you know, I mean, and look, keep in mind, remember, he was a free agent last year, and it didn’t go the way that he wanted it to. And he kind of just, you know, goes back to the Mets, you know, tail between his legs, so to speak. And ended up having a better year in 25 than he did in 24 I thought this was interesting. He really kind of dove into what the changes that he made going from 24 which he didn’t have a terrible year, but by his standards, it wasn’t a great year. And he kind of talked about how he really dove into analytics, biomechanics, you know, understanding his body more. He tweaked his swing a little bit. And for anyone who’s a stat nerd, and, you know, with stat cast and things of that nature, you go look at his stat cast page for his his hitting profile in 2025 all bright red bars, which, anyone who looks at that kind of stuff that that’s a good sign. You know, that’s the sign of someone that in his age 31 season, isn’t flashing these red flags and warnings that that he’s about to fall off a cliff, in a way that you might have thought. You know, not that anyone thought Chris Davis was going to fall off to the degree that he did as quickly as he did. But let’s face it, Chris Davis had had some ups and downs in the seasons leading up to that whereas, I mean, Pete Alonso has been the guy that, not counting the covid year, 34 home runs or more every single year,

Nestor Aparicio  13:38

is he quite a Hall of Fame. Um, look to say it now, no, but is he someone’s team where he thinks it’s going? Yeah, I mean, he’s, he has a chance to go to the Hall of Fame, right?

Luke Jones  13:50

I mean, he has 264 home runs in seven seasons, and one of those seasons was a covid year where he, you know, they played 60 games.

Nestor Aparicio  13:57

So look, I’m not gonna set for 500 to me,

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Luke Jones  14:01

I’m like, someone who still has a lot of work to do. But is he, is it impossible? I mean, he’s got the third most home runs in the major since he entered the league in 2019 I mean, you know, at the very least, a guy who is on a on a path to be Hall of very good, you know, that

Nestor Aparicio  14:18

kind of bloomer, kind of 25 he Yeah, Jackson holidays tour. Oh, sure, sure. I mean, he was a second round pick, actually, holidays to have 2500 at bats before he had won. Yeah.

Luke Jones  14:28

I mean, he was a second round pick out of college. I mean, he went to Florida and but at the same time, in 2019 he hit 53 home runs, which, if you recall, 19 was one of the years that they kind of talked about the ball being a little more lively, if you will. But I think, and this was another, this is another one of those talking points. And it was brought up. It was a good question at not by me, you know, someone else asked the question about Buck Showalter. He managed Pete Alonso in New York. And Pete said. I gave buck a call. Buck had nothing but beautiful things to say about the organization, about Baltimore, about Camden Yards, and said, Pete, you’re going to crush it there. So you get that kind of an endorsement. And let’s face it, we talked about this a little bit when the savannah bananas were playing at Camden Yards back in the summer. Memories here. Book is very well thought of here, and he’s someone that’s talked very fondly of, Pete Alonso, as far as someone you can trust. I mean this guy, the last you know, since the covid year, has played 150 260 150 460 262 now Is he a Gold Glove, elite defensive first baseman? No, but he played, he posts up, he plays hits at a high level. I mean, this is, you know, this is, look, is 100 is a $155 million contract ever truly a safe investment? No, of course not. And look, the analytics guy me will say year four and five, probably 264

Nestor Aparicio  16:08

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home runs. If he’s going to the Hall of Fame, he’s going to have 500 right? If he hits a home if he hits a home run, for every million dollars, you got to hit 155 home runs in five years. That’d be 30 home run, 31 home runs a year for $31 million right? Like, I think that are right, and that would be 55 home runs. And, like, I hate the it’s like talking about the murder rate. It’s just a number. It doesn’t mean anything, the RBIs or wins, or sure you’re on base or slugging, or what kind of glove he’ll have, or what kind of leader he’ll be. You know, it was a breath of fresh air to see a guy that looked like he wanted to be here, running around. She was very warm, talking about his jersey looking like he had been taught by somebody other than Greg Bader how to do the media thing up in New York. And dude just looking the part of a super looking at Johnny Bravo. And I don’t know what had been talking about Frank Robinson and getting under $50 million from these people and but I don’t know that it sold tickets. I don’t know that it tried. I know it’s made people fill out lineups of what the lineups gonna look like. But a lot of that going on on my timeline, there’s been a lot of Max Weis came out at DiPasquale’s with me, and she’s like, so what does this mean for Messiah? What does this mean for rushman? What does this mean for male castle? What does this mean for mayo and like, it means he got $155 million and he plays 152 games a year at first base. You better get a new job. You know, you better find some place else to play. I guess they’ll have him, dH, 1518, 20 times a year in the road to maybe trying to have him do that 35 times a year three years from now, or whatever. I don’t know, yeah, but I you want to talk about him with, let’s say, a little bit more resiliency than last year’s free agent offering around here?

Luke Jones  18:02

Sure, yeah. I mean, he’s been very durable, and he wants to play first base. I mean, he does now. Is there to the point that you just made? Is there a transition that probably not this year, maybe not even next year, but is there a transition when you get to year three, four or five? And let’s say that Samuel besayo has been the player that warranted the contract extension they gave him last August, right and has become that guy, whether he’s become an MVP candidate or just an above average left handed hitter, you know, power hitter. You know that to me, there’s a scenario where maybe by like, year four, maybe Alonzo transitions into being more the DH and and besides the first baseman, right? Or who knows what’s going to happen here. I mean, I’ll say this much. Adley rutsman is the starting catcher when you have Pete Alonso now playing first base, which means more DHing for Samuel besayo. I see no reason why Adley rutchman is going to be a DH anymore for the Orioles, I think he’s going to catch, and when he doesn’t catch his bat, doesn’t warrant really needing to be in the lineup until we see the Adley rutsman from three years ago reappear, if that’s going to happen. So I think that changes things for Richmond. It certainly changes besides profile, you know, and I’m working under the assumption that they are going to trade someone, but it’s going to be mayo or mount castle. Most likely mayo, right? I think if you ask me to kind of handicap, who’s the one most likely to go to be traded? You know, not just like let go, like Mount Castle could be at the end of spring training or something like that. But, you know, I think, you know, makes beside more so of a deep more of a DH, you know. And he’ll, he’ll still catch once or twice a week, you know, and they’ll probably have a third catcher on the roster and and all that. So, so it changes things in that way. But I mean, where I point blank tell you Pete Lonzo is gonna be their cleanup hitter. I mean, he’s gonna be in the middle of the roll. I mean, maybe they hit him third, but I would think he’s going to be their cleanup hitter. And I said this to you in our previous discussion, but I’ll reiterate it, even though I still won’t sit here and say that I love the Taylor Ward trade in terms of the value they potential value they surrendered, surrendered in Grayson Rodriguez for one year of Taylor ward. I like Taylor Ward as the second best bat being acquired in an offseason, much more than telling me Taylor Ward was their big bat that they acquired. And now you look at their lineup, what we talk about so much these last few years about the Orioles balance in their lineup right they were so heavy on the left handed bat side. And really it was, I mean, it had been Jordan westburg, you know, not counting their switch hitters, you know, when they had Santander and obviously rushman, but it basically been Westberg, right? And that’s one reason they spent, spent the money they did to get Tyler O’Neill last winter. And obviously we saw how that turned out one year into it, but now you’re in a position where Pete Alonso who’s going to play every day, you have Taylor Ward who’s going to play every day, you have Jordan Westberg, who hopefully will stay healthy enough to play every day. And then that’s not even counting. You know, if Tyler O’Neill’s DHing or playing less, and, you know, in an effort to keep him healthy, he’s still a guy who can hit for power, if he’s going to be, you know, if he’s on the field, he can hit. It’s like, it’s not like he has zero ability. So, but now you’re not counting on him to be the anchor for that. Now you’re talking about him as you’re kind of your fourth option when it comes to right handed bats. So this just gives their lineup so much more balance from a righty lefty standpoint. And we talked about this, and you know, Alonzo was asked about it in no, you know, uncertain terms, but you know the idea that you bring in someone with his cachet, his track record, he’s a grown up, 31 years old. He’s done it at high level for seven years now in the big leagues. This should make gunner Henderson a better player, because it puts a little less pressure on him. This should make every other player in that lineup a little bit better. I’m not even necessarily talking in terms of like whoever’s hitting in front of him will see more fastballs. Yeah. I mean, you could still talk about that element. But I just think the idea that, I mean, this is a guy who drove in 126 runs last year. This is a guy who had 80 extra base hits last year, you know, and he’s someone who’s, you know, been a 35 to 40 home run guy every single year, and, you know, walk 65 times. And, yeah, he’s going to strike out some. But who doesn’t in the modern game? But it’s not an obscene amount of strikeouts for, you know, I think, I think 2023 he kind of got into that 150 range for strikeouts. And, you know, he won 72 years ago, last year, he still had 162 but if you kind of looked at how it profiled, his swing and miss was a had actually improved a little bit. So, you know, shortened the swing a little bit, but also that also equated to him hitting with way more authority. So I mean, as I said to you, that the day after the signing occurred. I mean, I like this. They needed to do this. Is it going to work perfectly? I don’t know. And a lot of that’s going to have to do with who do they who do they sign or trade for on the pitching side? And are all these guys going to stay healthy, and are some of these young guys going to take a step forward? But I feel pretty confident that Pete Alonso is going to be at least for the first three years of this deal should be a really good investment for them, and it’s something that they’ve really needed. It’s something we’ve waited for them to do. And as I kind of said, as much as I don’t want to put too much into a press conference, you know what Friday felt? You know how it felt? It felt fun. It felt exciting. It felt like something that wasn’t really Oreo like, quite frankly, especially when

Nestor Aparicio  24:09

you had fun at a press conference there. I mean, I could use that word, you

Luke Jones  24:15

know, it was great to when they signed Adam Jones, that was a big deal. I thought the buck Showalter press conference, because Buck was that impressive when he was hired, even though that team was a disastrous but Buck was impressive that day, even if you had all these other questions about what else was going to happen. I remember

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Nestor Aparicio  24:30

my biggest question is, why did you take this gig? Dude like this? Yeah, that was a bad gig.

Luke Jones  24:35

And, you know, the cynic could say, Pete Alonso, why are you going to the Orioles? Right? Compete. You’re going to compete in the Al east, you know, but

Nestor Aparicio  24:43

that’s a lot different now than it was when Buck signed, sure, sure, no question, because you won the Division Two years ago, right? Because there’s all this talent around it too. It’s attractive to him. And, like, attractive.

Luke Jones  24:53

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And as we said, I mean, we said this when they made the move. When you look at where the Orioles, the the. Improvements they have made to this point in the offseason relative to the rest of baseball. They’re, they’re pretty high up on the in the list there. And you know, you could talk about some other teams, and you know, whether you like the Dylan ceased, like the length of that contract, I mean, Toronto still went out and got him, and he’s still really good pitcher. Whether you want to have them for seven years or not is up for debate. But you kind of look at the list of teams that have done the most to improve the the Orioles are high up on that list, you know, I don’t know if they’re one, but you would find them in that list. You know, if you had your top five most improved teams since the season ended, you know, when you add Pete Alonso, you add Taylor Ward, you add Ryan Helsley, and, you know, you add kittridge Back to the bullpen? Yeah, they still need starting pitching. Let’s we’re not going to gloss over that. We’ll continue to talk about that. But as I asked Craig, Craig Albernaz, you know, who talked briefly after the press conference, you know, a little scrum with some of the reporters there, just this, the sheer fact that they’ve done this before Christmas. I mean, think about even the Nelson Cruz signing, which is a one year deal, but one of the, even though a one year deal one of the best signings of the last 30 years for the Orioles. I mean, Nelson Cruz was incredible at his one year in Baltimore,

Nestor Aparicio  26:14

but Baldo Jimenez, when? But those in Indianapolis at the combine, yeah.

Luke Jones  26:20

I mean, those were spring training moves. I mean, like,

Nestor Aparicio  26:23

a long way for the combine, your dude. But like, you think

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Luke Jones  26:26

about it, like we, how many times have you and I, not just in the Orioles, just in general terms about baseball’s offseason, how it’s just, like, nothing happens for such but like, look at what they’ve done to this point. And hey, and yes, they need more. They have a lot more work to do. There’s no question about that. But what they’ve done before Christmas, I mean, it’s like Albernaz said. I mean, getting Peter Lonzo is a hell of a Christmas present. I mean, it really is. So, you know, to get back to your big, big picture points. I mean, I don’t know how many tickets they sold this past weekend, or, you know, in the 48 hours after that. But I do know I talked to a few friends of mine that are Orioles fans that bought tickets or are planning to buy tickets, and are way more excited now than they were three months ago, that’s for sure. So this is good. I mean, it was a good press conference. I you know, I think everyone came across looking good, you know, from Rubenstein and Elias to Pete Alonso and his new, you know, in his new digs, and Scott Boris showing why he’s Scott Boris, you know, with the way that he, the language he uses, the praise that he uses, and, you know, but it just, it felt good for the Orioles doing something like this. I mean, it really doesn’t again, I don’t, I can’t sit here with 100% certainty and say that it’s going to work perfectly, or that they’re going to be in a World Series in the next three years because of Pete Alonso. But if they are in a World Series the next few years, I’m guessing Pete Alonso is going to have a lot to do with it, and I think in the way that not just his production, but I think he has the opportunity to be a force multiplier for them because of just the trickle down effect this could have easing some of the burden on some of the young guys, taking some of the pressure off the young guys. How about some of the young guys seeing how he goes about approaching his craft? I mean, for anyone who watched the press conference, he comes across as a pretty cerebral guy. I already mentioned how he took a deep dive into analytics and biomechanics and getting to know his body better in terms of his swing and making his movement as efficient as possible. I mean, you don’t hear every every ball player talk in those terms, so for him to talk in those terms at his intro press conference, I think speaks to the kind of professional that the Orioles are getting here, and I think they’re really hoping that that can have a positive impact on others in the same way that I don’t know how many interviews you’ve heard from people that are familiar with Taylor Ward, but he has a reputation for being A guy that’s a pro and a guy that commands some leadership in a clubhouse and will be a veteran, you know, be a grown up for you, so to speak. You know, even though you know he’s not a superstar like Pete Alonso has been, but someone that kind of fits that profile. So I will say this, and you know, I mean, you and I have not had a ton of flattering things to say about michaelias Over the last calendar year, going back to last off season, but it is very evident that as they were evaluating what went wrong in 25 you know, this past season, it is abundantly clear that they recognized their miscalculation as far as just putting all their eggs in the the basket of the young guys, right, letting the young position core just kind of lead, I think they saw how that went. And yeah, they had injuries. And there was, it wasn’t just failure, right? I mean, Colton cows are missed the first two months of the season. Jordan Westberg struggled to stay healthy. The all year. Gunner Henderson, you know, missed the first week of the season and had the spring training injury that I think impact his home run power, right? I mean, go down the list. So, you know, they had a lot go wrong in that way. But for them to not just go out and get a bat, but go get two bats, and one of them be a guy that you invested $155 million in I think that was a clear recognition of, oh, we very much miscalculated, not that we don’t believe in our young core anymore. Because, as I’ve said all along, and I will continue to say, Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward alone are not fixing this offense. They need better from gunner Henderson. They need more from Jordan westburg. They need better from Colton kauser. They need Adley rutsman to maybe be closer to Adley rutschman again. They need Samuel beside Oh, to be the guy that warrants that, the extension that he got right. So go down the list of all these guys. They’re not going to get where they want to go ultimately, without at least more members of this young core stepping forward than we saw in 25 but now that you have Pete Alonso anchoring that lineup, and now that you have Taylor ward to help stabilize the at least the corner, a corner outfield spot, you know, knowing how in flux the outfield was for them for chunks of last season, you know, you just feel better about that. You know, I think it raises the floor, and it raises the ceiling as well. And obviously the young guys have a lot to do with that ceiling still, but I really like seeing them going out and doing this after many people, and I was in that group as well. Wanted to see them do more with their offense a year ago, and we got Tyler O’Neill and Gary Sanchez. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Ramon Laureano that that turned out to be the home run signing, ironically. But you know, for them to go out and get two bats like this from the right handed side, I’m pleased with that because, you know, I think we all assume pitching, pitching, pitching, pitching, and yeah, that they still need more pitching. There’s no doubt, especially with their rotation. But for them to make that kind of a commitment on the hitting side, I think that’s the kind of response I wanted to see from Mike Elias. I did not want to see another Oh, ho hum. We had injuries, we had bad luck, right? You know, I didn’t want to say that 60

Nestor Aparicio  32:24

million on a lousy outfielder, as compared to 155 million different kind of you’re shopping in a different, different, not different department, different supermarket. You shopping in a totally different neighbor, a different zip code, yeah?

Luke Jones  32:39

I mean, Tyler O’Neill did what he did with the Red Sox two years ago, you know, and had, what was it? 31 home runs, whatever it was. I mean, I off the top of my head

Nestor Aparicio  32:47

8

for three years. And $60 million means nobody else wanted them either. I mean,

Luke Jones  32:51

it was 40 it was 45 point 45 or 49.5 and look, that doesn’t mean no one else wanted them, but not at 155

Nestor Aparicio  33:01

million. He’s not

Luke Jones  33:03

Pete Alonso, right? I mean, you know different. His best season, he hit 34 home runs back in 2021 I just said to you, Pete Alonso has done that every year that wasn’t covid. I mean, he’s done that every year of his career. That’s what you’re getting here. So, I mean, it’s exciting, and he should be a heck of a player for at least the first few years of this deal. And you know, by year four, year five, I mean, we’ve talked about this, when you talk about these big free agent signings, generally, you know, what you’re paying for is the first half of that deal, generally speaking, you’re hoping to get value, if not surplus value, and then on the back end of it, I mean, it’s the same thing. You know, these 10 year deals, these 12 year deals. No one signs someone to a 13 year contract thinking that they’re actually going to be like the same player in years 1011, 12 and 13. You get, you sign up for those years knowing that or hoping that you’re going to get surplus value in years 1234567, you know, some or years 12345, and then market for the next couple years after that. You know that that’s kind of how it works and that, and that’s why the big market teams can do that right, that they can do that because they have the financial flexibility that they can absorb. You know, they can deal with a contract of a player that’s kind of on the back end of it. You know, teams that are smaller market, you’ve got to be more calculated, and that’s why, you know, it’s a five year deal. If Pete Alonso stinks in the last year or two of it, it’s not going to be the end of the world, as long as he was darn good the first few years of it. And if he’s darn good for the first few years of this deal, the Orioles figure to greatly improve their chances to be playing in October. And this is someone who has played in October, and he’s hit home runs in October, and that’s something else they’re looking for, is not just to get there, but have a chance to make a. Run, and Pete Alonso is the kind of guy that can anchor your lineup and give you a chance to

8

Nestor Aparicio  35:03

do that. You’ve been stripling out lineups. What do you got?

Luke Jones  35:07

I mean, I it’s funny. I mean, it, it was still a late Friday afternoon. I mean, obviously so much of my attention is on the Ravens right now. I mean, I

Nestor Aparicio  35:17

end the pitching,

Luke Jones  35:18

8

yeah, and the pitching. But, you know, I am, I’m intrigued to see what they do in the lead off spot, you know. I mean, we saw beavers kind of do it, you know, we saw Jackson holiday do it with pretty lukewarm results, you know, not, not as quite as much on base. But I just Pete Alonso, just, you put him at the cleanup spot, and then I think everyone else just falls into place more more easily. I mean, if that makes sense, right? I mean, I think I guess what I’m saying, if you have him in the middle of your order, everyone else can kind of fit anywhere, whereas last year, even the year before, I mean, Santander kind of sort of fit that for them. But, you know, at that point it was kind of like, okay, who’s the cleanup hitter? Like, who’s going to hit second? You know, what do you do with Gunner? Like, you know, I mean, maybe they put gunner, they might put gunner back in the lead off spot, you know, with having Pete Alonso hitting cleanup. I mean, I don’t know, but it is fun to kind of think about it in these terms. And like I said, just the balance they have now with having multiple viable right handed bats in their lineup when that’s been something that, you know, especially with Mount Castle falling off and not being the power hitter that he was four or five years ago. You know, that hurt them a lot. You know, they were just so heavy on left handed bats, and, okay, against a right handed starter, that’s fine, but what happens when you get to the late innings and teams start matching up with in the bullpen? I mean, that’s problematic. So you know, that’s why you ended up having, you know, Tyler O’Neill hitting cleanup, or Ramon lauriano Hitting cleanup before he was traded last year. I mean, you know, you just it was a mess. So it feels less messy when, when Craig Albernaz can write Tyler, or up Tyler O’Neill can write Pete Alonso’s name in the lineup every single day. So, you know, I’ll be working on more lineups, you know, because I, I think they’re mostly done now with all I mean, maybe, you know, I could still see a scenario where they maybe go out there and acquire, you know, a number three, four outfielder, type, you know, in the right, you know, like, as part of a trade, maybe, or something like that. But I think we would agree at this point, they’re mostly done with reshaping their offense, and now it’s go get your frontline starter. And I’d still like to see them not just get a front line starter, but get someone else that can fit into the, you know, number four, number five, you know, add a little more depth to the back half of that rotation. Because if you can do that, then maybe you move Tyler wells to the bullpen, you know, maybe you move Dean Kramer to the bullpen, right? I mean, you have different possibilities there. So, you know, more options you have, the more outs you have in terms of flexibility and how you want to shape this roster, this rotation and yes, this batting order.

Nestor Aparicio  38:10

Look, Joe, just here. He will be around Owings Mills all week as we get ready for the holidays at Santa and all that. You not expecting any more gifts under the tree from David Rubenstein and Michael era Getty and michaelias, or

Luke Jones  38:25

it’s hard to say. I mean, I said this to you when we last talked. I mean, the fact that you know, as you and I are talking in real time, you know, we haven’t seen any of the other big starting pitching names come off the board in the wake of the Dylan cease deal tells you that the rest of them, you know, rest of the teams, the rest of the market, leads you to think that maybe that deal is viewed as a little more of an outlier. Now, who knows? You know, may maybe someone gives Ranger swore as a seven year deal. You know, I certainly wouldn’t be comfortable with that for him, per se. But you know, these things can also come out of nowhere, right? I mean, with with being a little over, you know, we’re a week and a half out from Christmas, I mean, tends to be a time when things might slow down a hair, but we’ve seen michaelias Be aggressive, right? I mean, Mike Elias, of all people, the Orioles, of all teams, being aggressive here and and going out and doing what they’ve done, what six weeks into the off season, basically. I mean, and six weeks in a baseball off season is not that much compared to other sports, where, you know, at this point, free agency’s over. In other sports, you know, six weeks in, but you know, it’s just, you know that it’s fun, and I have more confidence now that they’re going to land a really good starting pitcher. Now it might, might be a trade. Might not necessarily be a signing. They might, they might trade Kobe mayo and and two other pieces for some teams, number one or number two. Starter. So, you know, I don’t know exactly how it’s going to happen, but them doing what they’ve done to this point, I don’t think they’re going to stop now, in terms of needing to get a legit number one, number two, kind of a starter that you can, you know, however you want to stack them up, you know, to put with Bradish and Trevor Rogers, and then, like I said, I’d really like to see them at a depth starter that you can kind of put into the back half of that rotation and feel that much better because you’re going to need depth. We know that, right? You’ve got a plan for some health concerns. And, you know, they traded away Grayson Rodriguez, who was one of those guys that you weren’t necessarily penciling into the top half of your rotation, but was still there as a maybe, you know, they they need their maybes, you know, they need more options when it comes to that. So still work to do. But just when was the last time you talked about the Orioles using adjectives fun and exciting in mid December? I mean, you might have to go back to, well, no signing Miguel to, I can’t even remember when they signed Tada, exactly. You might have to go back to the Pat Gillick era, you know, signing Roberto Alomar and, you know, the big splashes they made, yeah, yeah, it was oh three and oh, I’m saying I didn’t, I couldn’t remember what time of year that, like, was that one years ago, I couldn’t remember if it was like, my point is, I don’t know if it was December or January, or whenever it was, but mid December, we don’t talk about the Orioles this time of year with such excitement even Corbin burns, I mean, that was like February 1, right?

Nestor Aparicio  41:36

So the Orioles signed Miguel tahana On December the seventh.

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Luke Jones  41:41

Okay, so, actually, so pretty darn close, right? But, yeah, that was December 7, 2003 right? So, man, 22 years ago. I mean, I mean, this is, this is the biggest contract they’ve given to an outside free agent, you know, obviously the biggest to an outside free agent in club history. But, you know, I mean, it’s as far as an outside free agent signing that’s this big of a deal. Yeah, you’ve got to go back to two years ago. You’ve got to go back to I mean, that’s way too long. But Magic Happens Better late

Nestor Aparicio  42:16

than never. I suppose. He is Luke Jones. He is Baltimore, Luke. We’re gonna be doing the Maryland crab cake tour twice this week, once next week. We’re going to be on Thursday at Costas and Dundalk. Come on out. Gina shock is going to be with us in the afternoon. Have some old friends as well. On Friday, we’ll be at Gertrude at the BMA. I will have Raven scratch offs until they’re gone, but I’m going to have the candy cane cash because I want my bag to smell like peppermints because I want to pretend I’m Santa Claus like David Rubenstein was for Pete Alonso and his family. Monday, we will be at Planet Fitness in Timonium, kicking off the new location, and kicking off the new year, and raising a little bit of stink for what’s left here in 2025 here as we get up on the holidays. Hope everybody’s having a great week. I’ve been invited to all sorts of holiday parties, and I’ve had hot toddies. I’ve had old fashioned, young fashions, semi fashions. I’ve I’ve raised the Lombardi trophy with Trent dolfer. It’s been a hell of a month around here. The ravens are back into things, and the Orioles are spending money. Pinch me. San is coming down the chimney. We’re W, N, S, T AM, 1570 Towson, Baltimore, and we never stop talking Baltimore positive and baseball for Christmas. You.