Baltimore Orioles Should Take Atlanta Braves Route With Two Stars
The Baltimore Orioles might need to take a page out of the Atlanta Braves book when it comes to extending Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson. The Orioles star duo won't hit free agency for another few seasons, but locking them up now could make them cheaper than waiting until most teams in baseball attempt to sign them in free agency.
Henderson hits free agency after the 2028 season, while Rutschman becomes eligible for free agency after the 2027 season.
Notably, the Braves signed Ronald Acuna to an eight-year, $100 million contract pre-arbitration. Acuna was widely regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball and won the Rookie of the Year Award. Michael Harris is the latest player that Alex Anthopoulos extended before hitting arbitration.
There's a risk from the team and the player. Acuna is the obvious one around baseball as someone who's on a bad contract. However, as a 21-year-old, guaranteeing yourself $100 million goes a long way. From Anthopoulos's point of view, giving a 21-year-old that type of money is risky business. If he didn't pan out, it would've been one of the worst signings in baseball.
Rutschman and Henderson are two prime candidates for Baltimore to extend in a deal like Acuna and Bobby Witt Jr. have.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com listed both of them as possibilities for long-term extensions. He also writes that Jackson Holliday, primed to make his debut in 2024, could be another option to sign long-term.
The Orioles have tough decisions to make but extending their two stars should be a guarantee as they continue to compete for a World Series.
