Two Orioles Rising Stars Named $500 Million Contract Candidates

The Baltimore Orioles have two players that could easily become the next $500 million stars of the league.

Apr 9, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) turns a double play on Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (2) in the sixth inning at Chase Field. | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

The baseball world was shook by the 14-year, $500 million contract extension that the Toronto Blue Jays handed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. this week. That deal signals trouble for the Baltimore Orioles' penny-pinching owners.

Dayn Perry of CBS Sports recently ranked the five players most likely to end up getting the next contract of that size and two Orioles stars made the cut.

Gunnar Henderson was named the most likely candidate in all of baseball on this list, and for good reason. He is a young superstar shortstop who does it all. By the time he reaches free agency in 2028, $500 million might not be enough to keep him in Baltimore for a long time.

Now in his fourth MLB season, the 23-year-old has a career slash line of .266/.344/.498 with 69 home runs and 192 RBI.

He exploded for 37 home runs and 21 stolen bases last year, racking up 9.1 WAR in an MVP-caliber season.

Since the start of the 2023 campaign, he is a top-20 player in almost every category. His 14.9 WAR in that time is third behind just Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.

With how Guerrero has reset the market, Henderson is well on pace to make that money by the time he hits free agency.

The other Orioles player considered a candidate is Jackson Holliday, who is still establishing himself in the Major Leagues after a rough rookie season last year.

Holliday has been much better to start 2025 than he was last year, but he still isn't anywhere near the player that Baltimore expects him to become.

He has a career .200/.257/.326 slash line with six home runs and five stolen bases in 71 games.

During his lone full season in the minors, he posted a .323/.442/.499 slash line with 12 home runs and 24 stolen bases. While he shouldn't be expected to replicate his minor-league stats right away, that is a huge difference in production.

The reason that he is on the list is that he can still become that player. He was taken with the first overall pick and made it to the Majors by the time he was 20 for a reason, so he still has plenty of time to prove himself and become a star.

The Orioles may want to lock him up before then, however, as there's a good chance he's only going to get more expensive.