Baltimore Orioles Young Star Predicted To Sign $180 Million Extension

The Baltimore Orioles catcher has proven to be well worth the price.

Oct 2, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (35) hits a single against the Kansas City Royals in the fourth inning in game two of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

There wasn't a better time for the Baltimore Orioles to get a new ownership group. Historically speaking, the Orioles haven't been willing to hand out expensive contracts.

That was likely due to their old ownership group, so with the new one in place, they could change their ways and prove to the fan base that they're willing to spend money to win championships.

With a few pending free agents this offseason and some young guys they could beat to free agency by signing them to long-term extensions now, it's the perfect time to show they've changed their style. 

Corbin Burnes is their biggest one, as the youngsters are under contract for the foreseeable future.

Regarding players they could look to get a deal done for include Adley Rutschman, arguably the best catcher in baseball. 

Rutschman was brutal in the second half of the year, and there's no debating that. He understood how poorly he played.

Despite how ugly it was, Baltimore seems to have a franchise catcher, which is tough to find. 

Because of that, they might have to pay an expensive price to keep him around. With how elite he is offensively when at his best, his future contract could hit $200 million.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report came in just below that, predicting Rutschman to land a nine-year, $180 million deal.

"Finding a franchise catcher is extremely difficult, and guys such as Yadier Molina, Buster Posey and Salvador Pérez spending their entire careers with one team speaks to how motivated teams are to keep guys like that around for the long term. The Baltimore Orioles fully expected Adley Rutschman to be that kind of player when they selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, and three years into his MLB career, he has two All-Star selections, a Silver Slugger and 13.1 WAR in 415 games... Eventually, they could use top prospect Samuel Basallo to absorb a few starts per week, allowing Rutschman to see a bit more action at designated hitter in an effort to keep him fresh for a full season."

On the one hand, saving money wouldn't be the wrong decision from the Orioles front office.

Rutschman won't hit free agency until 2028, so they still have another three seasons of him at a relatively cheap price. He'll be arbitration-eligible in 2025, which is when the price could start to increase significantly.

In his young career, he's posted a .261/.351/.421 slash line with a 121 OPS+ and 52 home runs. His production is well worth the money, and if Baltimore continues to wait, that price will only go up.