Mike Elias has finally done it. He’s finally given out a contract extension to a home-grown Orioles player. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Friday morning that the Orioles are about to make official an eight-year, $67 million extension for the just-arrived catching prospect, Samuel Basallo. This is the largest pre-arbitration contract ever given to a catcher.
The contract starts next season. This means that the Orioles have guaranteed Basallo money for the entire six years of team control they would
have already had. They’ve also bought out two free agent years. In addition to the guaranteed money, there’s a team option for a ninth year. With possible escalators based on awards and on playing time at the catching position, the contract could end up totaling as much as $88.5 million over nine seasons.
Basallo is now – or at least will be, once it’s official – signed through 2033 with the potential for 2034. The only person who is guaranteed to be paid by the Orioles longer than that is Chris Davis.
I didn’t think Elias would ever getting around to doing it. Contracts like these have been handed out all across the league in recent years. The Orioles have not done a single one, until now. It’s probably not a coincidence that the first one they’ve done is, in terms of guaranteed money, relatively small. It’s a life-changing amount of money for Basallo, who only turned 21 years old early last week, but it only commits the team to an AAV of $8.375 million over the next eight years. Compared against the 2025 payroll, that’s a tiny percentage. The contract will certainly be structured to be paying out more money in later years.
It’s not hard to see why the team has chosen to invest in someone so young, who has raced through the minors and done very well. Before his call-up, he’d hit 23 home runs in just 76 games for Triple-A Norfolk, and he batted .270/.377/.589 overall. We’ve only seen him in a handful of games so far and it’s enough to really dream on what he’ll be able to do as he gains more major league experience. Fans can hope this is the first of many success stories for the Orioles’ international scouting and development group.
Is Basallo’s long-term defensive home going to be as a full-time catcher? With the structure of the contract providing escalators based on playing time (details unreported as of this writing) at the position, that question seems to still be up in the air. Maybe he’ll end up more as a first baseman/designated hitter who is able to catch sometimes but won’t be relied upon as the primary catcher.
Or if Basallo goes berserk over the next month and seems to be learning enough defensively, we could end up spending the offseason wondering about Adley Rutschman’s near-term future with the Orioles. This was an improbable scenario before the season began. Rutschman, unfortunately, has continued a slide from his rookie year peak batting numbers and has battled multiple injuries besides. He might even be done for the season at this point with his second oblique strain of the year.
A hole has opened up and Basallo is starting to step through it after less than a week in the majors. This is an exciting day in the middle of a disappointing season. Hopefully it turns out to be the beginning of things getting better around here.
