Baltimore Orioles Should Be Motivated To Get Extension Done With Star Catcher

The Baltimore Orioles have one of the best established young cores in baseball to build their lineup around.

Their scouting and development teams deserve a lot of credit for the work they have done with players in recent years. A lot of losing was done on the field to land high in the draft, but nothing is guaranteed when it comes to selecting prospects.

There is a lot of volatility when it comes to players turning into productive players at the Major League level, but the outlook is so bright for the Orioles because they have beaten those odds more often than not recently.

One of the players anchoring their foundation is star catcher Adley Rutschman.

Being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Oregon State came with a lot of pressure as a franchise savior. He has certainly not disappointed, quickly becoming one of the best players at his position in the game.

Rutschman finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, making his Major League debut less than three years after being selected.

He took his production to another level in 2023, being named an All-Star for the first time and winning the Silver Slugger Award.

Out of the gate in 2024, he was trending toward setting career highs across the board again. In the first half he had a slash line of .276/.339/.441 with 16 home runs, 12 doubles and 59 RBI across 404 plate appearances.

That earned him a second consecutive All-Star nod, but it was unable to keep up that level of production in the second half.

He struggled across the board with a slash line of .207/.282/.303 in 234 plate appearances with only three home runs and nine doubles. His defensive performance also went by the wayside.

With one of their key players struggling, Baltimore’s overall performance took a nosedive. They looked like legitimate World Series contenders in the first half, but they limped into the postseason and were swept by the Kansas City Royals in the ALWC.

With the 2025 campaign right on the horizon, Rutschman is one of the players who is motivated to turn things around and start performing at the level he showed originally.

The Orioles know what he is capable of, which is why they should be pushing to get an extension done with him as soon as possible.

Alas, it would not be a surprise if Rutschman is willing to bet on himself and wait things out.

“In general, you don’t like to sign a long-term deal off of your worst season. Rutschman’s talented enough to believe 2024 was a blip, and a season more in line with his prior production would push him above $150 million,” wrote Tim Britton of The Athletic (paid subscription required).

The MLB writer has projected the star catcher to land a seven-year, $123 million extension right now. That AAV of approximately $17.6 million would place him third amongst catchers right now.

Only J.T. Realmuto of the Philadelphia Phillies, who is playing out the final year of a five-year, $115 million deal, and Salvador Perez of the Royals, in the midst of a four-year, $82 million deal, are higher.

Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who signed a 10-year, $140 million deal, would be the only player with an overall contract value higher than Britton’s projected extension for Rutschman.

Recommended Articles