📝 usncan Note: Basallo Signs An Extension With The Orioles After Just Four MLB Games
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HOUSTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 17: Samuel Basallo #29 of the Baltimore Orioles bats in the seventh inning of his MLB debut against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on August 17, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
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Samuel Basallo has been in the major leagues for only four games, but he’s about to get paid like a veteran. The Baltimore Orioles signed him to an eight-year, $67 million extension according the Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka. The deal includes a club option for a ninth season, which would be the 2034 campaign. With escalators based on playing time at catcher and awards bonuses, it can max out at $88.5 million.
Basallo debuted for the Orioles on August 17, just four days after his 21st birthday. In four games, he has four hits in 15 at-bats, but he’s one of the most highly-regarded prospects in baseball.
In their midseason prospect rankings, MLB.com listed Basallo as the eighth-best overall prospect in the game. No other catcher placed in the top 30. In Triple-A, he was hitting .270/.377/.589 with 23 home runs in 76 games despite being more than six years younger than the average player at that level.
Basallo is a left-handed-hitting catcher by trade, though he also has plenty of minor-league experience at first base. He is praised for his strong arm which helps control the running game, though he only threw out six out of 47 attempted base stealers in Triple-A this year. He’s 6-foot-4, and it can be tough for larger catchers to master the nuances of pitch framing.
Even though it isn’t a sure thing that he will stick behind the plate, it appears as though he’s going to play there a lot in the immediate future. Adley Rutschman has a long-term lock on the starting catcher job, but the strained oblique that put him on the injured list is what led to the prospect’s promotion. When both are healthy, Basallo will likely start at first base and designated hitter while serving as a backup catcher.
While the extension provides financial certainty for Basallo, he will leave a lot of future earnings on the table if he’s anywhere near as good as he’s expected to be. If Baltimore exercises his 2034 club option, he will reach free agency at the age of 30. While that’s still relatively young for a free agent, he could’ve reached free agency as early as age 27 if he hadn’t signed the deal. High-quality players who become free agents in their mid-20s tend to sign long contracts, well into nine figures in total value.
It’s also possible he would’ve earned a comparable amount in his arbitration years to what he will receive during his extension. The value of the deal for the Orioles is that they get what would’ve been his first two or three free agency years at a heavily discounted rate.
Baltimore also benefits from having kept him in the minors beyond August 16. Now he can’t accrue 45 days of service time this season, which still makes him eligible for the Rookie of the Year Award in 2026. Finishing first or second in the voting will net the Orioles draft pick compensation in 2027.
It’s worth noting that Basallo has yet to hit his first big-league home run. The future looks bright, and the Orioles made sure he’s a cornerstone to build around for many more years.
