The buzz around Birdland has been centered around one name: Pete Alonso. 

The Mets’ all-time leader in home runs took his talents to Baltimore this offseason, inking a five-year, $155 million contract with the Orioles. Alonso has hit at least 34 home runs in each full major league season of his career, posting an .857 OPS along the way. 

Plus, for an O’s clubhouse that severely lacked durability a season ago, their new first baseman brings just that. Alonso is second in baseball in consecutive games played, appearing in all 162 each of the last few seasons. 

There have been many articles written about Alonso, and there will be many more. The excitement surrounding the acquisition of a franchise cornerstone is palpable and justified. 

This is not one of those articles. 

This is, instead, a reminder to not solely focus on Alonso’s headlining addition, but to appreciate the scope of improvement made in Baltimore, headlined by three other major additions: Taylor Ward, Shane Baz and Ryan Helsley. 

Alonso, alongside Gunnar Henderson, could be the driving force of Baltimore’s potential return to the postseason. But if the O’s get there, Ward, Baz and Helsley will be major reasons why, too. 

Ward doesn’t quite match Alonso’s 324 games played since the start of 2024, coming in at a measly 313. Furthermore, the outfielder fell an entire two home runs short of Alonso’s 38 last year. Ward doesn’t boast the same track record of success, but the former Angel is fresh off of a career year in which his offensive numbers rivaled some of the best power hitters in the game. 

While his power potential rivals the highest-powered in Baltimore’s lineup, Ward’s skillset brings something different. 

Ward’s 75 walks in 2025 would’ve paced the Orioles by 13 free passes. A walk rate over 11 percent allows the outfielder, without blazing speed, to be a formidable leadoff man. He has 178 knocks and an OPS just shy of .800 as the first name on the lineup card, a spot that doesn’t have a clear answer in Baltimore. 

Whether it’s batting first or providing some right-handed protection behind Henderson, it’s unlikely Ward hits any lower than fifth in Craig Albernaz’s lineup this season. The outfielder won’t bring elite defense or speed to Camden Yards, but he’ll certainly bring the pop. 

Baz didn’t have a career box score year in 2025, but the season may have been his most significant. 

The former No. 12 prospect in the game, according to MLB Pipeline, has struggled to find a full season of starts. 17 outings came in 2021, followed by 10 in 2022 and a missed season in ‘23. But in 2025, the right-hander posted 31 times and accumulated over 165 innings of work.

His ERA of 4.87 last year doesn’t tell the full story, either. At Steinbrenner Field, a hitter-friendly minor league ballpark where the Rays played their home games in 2025, Baz had an ERA close to 6.00. Everywhere else, that mark was down to 3.86. His expected ERA of 3.88, according to Statcast, further emphasizes this discrepancy. 

With a fastball that can reach triple digits, a quality curveball and changeup, plus reported tinkering with his arsenal this offseason, perhaps 2026 is the year that Baz really starts to show off his top-prospect potential. 

Speaking of electric stuff and offseason tinkering, don’t forget about the addition of Helsley, a consensus top closer in the game from 2022 to 2024. During that stretch, the flamethrowing righty had a sub-2.00 ERA in St. Louis, appearing in two All-Star games along the way. He added a splitter to his arsenal this offseason, too, presumably as another way to attack left-handers. That compliments a slider and a fastball that was clocked at least 102 mph 20 times last season. 

Assuming that Helsley bounces back from a rough post-deadline stretch with the Mets last season, the Orioles may have just replaced their injured All-Star closer with another All-Star closer. 

This isn’t to take anything away from the justified elation over Alonso. But Ward is likely to join him at the top of the lineup, while Baz and Helsley will help anchor the pitching staff. The Polar Bear’s shadow may loom large, but it shouldn’t take away from the other high-quality moves that could help Baltimore get back to the postseason.