Baltimore Orioles Urged to Lock Up Young Star to Long-Term Extension Now

One baseball writer makes the case that the Baltimore Orioles should lock up their young star to a long-term extension.

Sep 25, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) follows through on a two run single against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles have had a busy offseason so far after a strong campaign in 2024.

After years of struggles, the Orioles have turned things around of late. In the last two campaigns, Baltimore has been able to reach the postseason thanks to some impressive teams in the regular season.

However, while they have had a lot of success during the year, that has yet to translate to postseason success. Winning in October will be the next goal for the franchise, but they have to be pleased with how their rebuild has turned out.

The top players in Baltimore are mostly home-grown talent, which is a testament to its ability to draft and develop players. Recently, the Orioles haven’t been big spenders in free agency or in locking up their own players. But with new ownership, the hope is that things will change in that area.

So far this offseason, Baltimore has made a couple of nice signings, but they did see their ace Corbin Burnes leave in free agency. For a team that might never spend wildly, spending wisely to keep their core intact is going to be important.

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently wrote about a New Year’s Resolution for each team in the Majors. For the Orioles, he urged them to extend one of their two young stars soon.

“Adley Rutschman is the best catcher in MLB today, and Gunnar Henderson has put himself on an early track to be one of the best shortstops of all time. And these are just two of the players the Orioles should have already extended by now," he wrote.

Both of these players make a ton of sense to lock up long-term. Baltimore has recently just found out the hard way with Burnes that having key players hit free agency is not ideal.

Either Henderson or Rutschman would be considered elite free agents at their positions when the time comes. Rutschman is moving into his first arbitration offseason and is expected to make $5-6 million in 2025.

When looking at both, if the Orioles are going to prioritize a lengthy contract extension early on, it should likely be for Henderson.

After winning the Rookie of the Year in 2023, the talented shortstop followed it up with an All-Star season in 2024. The talented slugger totaled 37 home runs, 92 RBIs, and stole 21 bases. Despite being just 23 years old, Henderson is already emerging as one of the best players in baseball.

Locking up a player like that for the next decade or even longer makes a lot of sense for Baltimore.

As the young shortstop heads into his third full season in 2025, he very well could be an MVP candidate in the American League if he takes another step forward. Considering his age, he likely still isn’t even in his prime yet, which is an exciting thought.