Samuel Basallo contract a 'symbolic first step' for Orioles - ESPN

BALTIMORE — A day after Samuel Basallo became the first young Baltimore Orioles player to sign to sign a long-term, pre-arbitration contract extension under the current regime, owner David Rubenstein suggested he won't be the last.

The Orioles celebrated the completion of an eight-year, $67 million deal with the rookie catcher during a Saturday news conference attended by most of Basallo's teammates. Among them: shortstop Gunnar Henderson and fellow catcher Adley Rutschman, the first All-Stars drafted by general manager Mike Elias.

Despite payroll jumps of approximately $40 million in back-to-back seasons, Baltimore's inability to reach long-term deals with Henderson, Rutschman or other young regulars has exacerbated tensions during a disappointing season.

Rubenstein assured fans it wasn't for lack of effort, and that locking down a 21-year-old who is the game's No. 8 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, is part of a larger strategy.

«Everybody's disappointed,» Rubenstein said of the Orioles' 59-69 record entering Saturday. «In my own life, like many of you, I've had disappointments before. And you pick yourself up, you get back on your feet, you kind do the best you can and move forward. So we're going to move forward. This is a very important symbolic first step as we move forward. We're very pleased with this decision but we hope we can have others like this at some point. We're going to work on that.»

Rutschman was terrific for his first couple of years in the majors, but he slumped toward the end of 2024 and has hit .227 during an injury-plagued 2025. Now the Orioles have made a commitment to Basallo, who can also play first base. Elias suggested Basallo and Rutschman — who is under team control through the 2027