Good morning Birdland,
While last night’s 10-7 loss to the Astros was a real bummer, I won’t let it damper what, in the grand scheme, was a big day for the Orioles organization. Hopefully, years from now, we won’t all remember Friday as yet another boneheaded performance for the 2025 squad, but rather as laying the groundwork for the sort of year-to-year competitiveness that Mike Elias has always claimed to strive for.
Samuel Basallo is going to be an Oriole through 2033 at least. If he plays well,
he will be here through 2034. We may not know the exact type of player he will become just yet, but he certainly seems like a guy that you want your organization to lock up long term and at a known cost. He’s young. He plays a premium position. He has one of the highest offensive ceilings in the sport. Those are some very good things!
Now, we all need to level set. Just because Basallo has the long term contract now does not mean that he is going to be an instant success. He should still be given the grace and patience that all young players deserve. The Orioles, in particular, are familiar with prospects coming up and scuffling out of the gate. It is entirely possible that Basallo does the same, especially while he continues to develop behind the plate.
Regardless of his performance in 2025, the fact that the Orioles got this deal done feels like an indication of good things to come. In addition to some other business that Elias needs to get done this winter, will he also approach other current Orioles for a contract extension? It would certainly keep the positive momentum going.
Links
Mansolino on Basallo extension: “This is a big deal for him and for his family and for our organization” | Roch Kubatko
By all indications, Basallo also seems to be a good guy. If he performs, he seems to have the intangibles that allow you to trust him as the face of your franchise. That sort of thing has to be part of the thought process when you commit to a player like this.
It took Adley Rutschman years to master game calling. Now Samuel Basallo will start that same process. | The Baltim0re Banner
Offense is likely to be Basallo’s defining characteristic for his entire career. But his value explodes if he can actually handle the catcher position at the major league level. It doesn’t need to be Gold Glove-level stuff. But it needs to be passable, and pitchers need to enjoy working with him. Perpare for all sorts of “he worked so hard this offseason” stories by mid-February.
How Orioles’ Samuel Basallo extension affects Adley Rutschman | The Baltimore Sun
This deal will certainly have an impact on Rutschman. But for 2026 anyway, I think the two can coexist. A team needs two catchers, and there should be at-bats to go around at first base and DH as well. Of course, that only happens if one of Ryan Mountcastle or Coby Mayo is dealt in the offseason. That seems entirely possible as the team tries to rebuild its bullpen and fortify its rotation.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Denny Bautista turns 45 today. The journeyman pitcher played for six teams in his seven-season MLB career. That included two games for the 2004 Orioles.
- Alejandro Freire is 51. All 25 MLB games that the first baseman appeared in came with the Orioles in 2005.
- Casey Blake is 52 years old. Before he was a productive infielder in Cleveland and Los Angeles, Blake played six games for the 2001 O’s.
- Raúl Casanova turns 53. He caught two games for the 2002 Orioles.
- Jeff Manto celebrates his 61st birthday. He played 89 games, mostly at the hot corner, for the Orioles in 1995 and put up a 108 OPS+.
- Mike Boddicker is 68 today. An Orioles legend, Boddicker had a 3.73 ERA over nine seasons in Baltimore from 1980-88. His career highlights include winning the 1983 World Series and winning 20 games in 1984. The Orioles inducted Boddicker into their team Hall of Fame in 2001.
- The late Ed Barnowski (b. 1943, d. 2017) was born on this day. He pitched in six games for the Orioles between 1965 and ‘66.
- John Morris is 84 today. The southpaw appeared in 19 games out of the Orioles bullpen in 1968.
- The late George Kell (b. 1922, d. 2009) was born on this day. The Hall of Famer wrapped up his impressive career with two seasons in Baltimore from 1956-57.
This day in O’s history
2002 – The Orioles use four home runs to come back from a six-run deficit and defeat the Blue Jays 11-7. The win makes the O’s 63-63 on the season. They would win just four more games the rest of the season.
