ORLANDO, Fla. – For the second day in a row at the MLB Winter Meetings, the Boston Red Sox saw one of their top free agent targets land elsewhere.

But it’s an even bigger blow to Boston, as the player in question chose another American League East team.

Longtime New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso has a five-year, $155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles.

The Mets were interested in reuniting with Alonso, who has been with the organization since they made him their second-round pick in ’16, but were not willing to exceed three years, a source said.

Alonso is a career .253/.341/.516 hitter who has averaged 136 hits, 26 doubles, and nearly 38 home runs per season over seven years in the majors. In his debut season in ’19, he led the majors with 53 home runs, earning NL Rookie of the Year honors and his first of five All-Star selections.

Consistently durable, Alonso has played at least 152 of 162 regular-season games every year – with the exception of the COVID-shortened 2020 season – and hasn’t missed a game since 2023.

The Red Sox have made a power bat their top priority, and were heavily linked to the top free-agent options: Kyle Schwarber, who decided to re-sign with the Philadelphia Phillies for five years on Tuesday, and Alonso.

Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette are the top hitters left on the market. The Red Sox have been linked to both and met with Bregman, but have also been mired in various trade talks.

In the meantime, baseball’s most competitive division gets better, and the pressure just got higher.