Baltimore Orioles Need To Aggressively Pursue Extension With Young Star

The Baltimore Orioles need to start locking in some of their young core to long-term deals.

Oct 2, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (35) throws to first base against the Kansas City Royals in game two of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles have a chance to be contenders for a long time in the American League with the amount of young talent they have stockpiled.

Their lineup is going to be as deep as any team’s in baseball if development continues for their young players already at the Major League level, and there is even more moving through the minor league system.

Sooner than later, the front office is going to have to start committing to players long-term.

The first one they should be looking to get an extension done with is catcher Adley Rutschman.

Since his debut in 2022, he has been a core member of the team’s foundation. He is right in the mix as the best catcher in the sport with his all-around skill set, making an impact offensively and defensively.

An All-Star two years running, his production has slipped from where it was as a rookie, when he recorded an impressive 5.4 WAR. In 2023 it decreased to 4.3 and this past year it was even lower at 3.4.

Is there cause for concern?

Most likely not, as some nagging injuries derailed Rutschman’s overall performance in the second half. Through the first 90 games of the season, he had a slash line of .276/.339/.441 with 16 home runs.

In the final 58 games, his slash line plummeted to .207/.282/.303 with only three home runs.

When healthy, there is no doubt about the production he will bring to the table.

While Rutschman is under team control through 2027, it wouldn’t hurt to try and work out an extension as early as possible.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com named the young catcher as one of the top extension candidates heading into the 2025 campaign. A big reason for that is his representation, who has no qualms about locking their clients into long-term deals without hitting the free agent market.

“While fellow youngsters Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday are represented by Scott Boras, who famously prefers to take his clients to free agency, Rutschman is repped by Wasserman, which has negotiated extensions for a number of prominent clients,” Feinsand wrote.

With a new ownership group headed by David Rubenstein, Baltimore could start to operate differently when it comes to free agency.

Notoriously frugal in free agency, it will be interesting to see how much, if at all, the spending increases under Rubenstein.

The Orioles had the largest payroll increase in baseball in 2025 compared to 2024, so he certainly isn’t afraid to spend in some regard.

If Rubenstein wants to ensure that his team remains as competitive as possible for the foreseeable future, working out long-term deals with key contributors such as Rustchamn should be at the forefront of their to-do list.