The Baltimore Orioles are coming into the 2025 season with a few question marks. They lost Corbin Burnes to the Arizona Diamondbacks and will be without Grayson Rodriguez for a while.
However, they are expected to still be a contending team in 2025, even with a few pieces gone. They could have a better chance to climb the ladder in the American League East with the New York Yankees being decimated by injuries.
They do have a few star players that could be in line for contract extensions soon, including star catcher Adley Rutschman. Tim Britton of The Athletic predicts that Rutschman could sign a seven-year, $213 million extension.
“In general, you don’t like to sign a long-term deal off of your worst season. Rutschman’s talented enough to believe 2024 was a blip, and a season more in line with his prior production would push him above $150 million,” Britton wrote.
It was not a banner season for the two-time All-Star catcher. He hit just .250/.318/.391 with 19 home runs and a .709 OPS. He did have a 3.4 WAR and drove in 79 runs, however, so his stats weren’t bad by any means.
But even after what is being considered a down year for Rutschman, he could be a strong candidate for a contract extension, and as Britton notes, he could receive a better deal if he bounces back in 2025.
In addition to his two All-Star selections, the 27-year-old catcher is also a former Silver Slugger Award winner. He was a Rookie of the Year candidate in 2022 as well.
He has a bright future ahead of him and will be a key building block for the Orioles for years to come, especially if they cough up the money necessary to give him an extension.
We’ll see what Baltimore decides to do.
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