Will the Orioles ink any of their young core pieces to a contract extension?
The Kansas City Royals have extended their young star in Bobby Witt Jr, the Brewers have done the same with Jackson Chourio. Next up on the list of young stars that could be in line for an extension include two Orioles, Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson.
Rutschman is one of the league’s best backstops, if not the cream of the crop, and is a strong candidate to get an extension soon with two more arbitration seasons remaining.
While Tim Britton of the Athletic has him slotted in at $123 million over 7 years.
This is coming off of Rutschman’s worst statistical season as a pro, which was not too far off of his previous seasons, only hitting one less home run than the season before and driving in one fewer RBI.
If Rutschman was to sign the proposed deal from Britton, the Orioles would be getting a steal by locking up their franchise catcher. Samuel Basallo is climbing the ranks of the minor leagues and should be in Baltimore soon, giving the Orioles a deadly combo of catchers.
According to Spotrac, Rutschman’s market value is an 11-year $280 million contract. This would land him as the highest-paid catcher by both AAV and total dollar amount. Rutschman is due for a big payday and the Orioles should be looking to get it done sooner rather than later.
Will the Orioles sign any of their young core players to a contract extension?
The other Orioles star who is lining up for a big contract is shortstop Gunnar Henderson.
Henderson has been in MVP conversations since his rookie campaign, when he won the American League Rookie of the Year award. Henderson’s contract will likely be similar to the one that another young superstar shortstop signed just last offseason.
Bobby Witt Jr. signed an 11-year, $288.7 million contract with the Kansas City Royals.
This deal includes four consecutive opt-out seasons and three consecutive club option seasons after that. It’s possible that Henderson’s deal would follow a similar framework.
Britton slated Henderson to get a 12-year $375 million contract, which would surpass Witt’s number by nearly $100 million and one season.
Britton also suggested that Henderson has the best chance that an active player has to reach the contract that Juan Soto earned with the Mets this past winter.
Given that we’ve seen two players break the $700 million threshold, it’s feasible that Henderson could approach that number himself in the right scenario.
The Orioles’ future success hinges on Henderson and Rutschman. Signing them early before their value outgrows the wallet of O’s owner David Rubenstein would secure the future of Baltimore baseball.
