Orioles reach a $67 million, 8-year deal with 21-year-old catcher Basallo

BALTIMORE (AP) — On a team with plenty of talented young players, Samuel Basallo now has a special distinction — the first to agree to a long-term contract. The Baltimore Orioles reached a $67 million, eight-year deal with the rookie catcher Friday, less than a week after the 21-year-old made his major league debut. The agreement — a record pre-arbitration deal for a catcher — starts in 2026 and includes a team option for 2034. It has escalators based on awards and playing time at catcher and could be worth $88.5 million. "We are thrilled to agree with Samuel long term and are delighted about what this means for him and his family," general manager Mike Elias said in a statement. "His debut and this extension are big achievements for our organization, beginning with the work of our international scouting staff and carried forward successfully by our entire player development operation." Basallo will make $1 million a year in 2026, 2027 and 2028, $4 million in 2029, $7 million in 2030, $11 million in 2031 and $15 million in 2032 and 2033. The deal includes a $5 million signing bonus, and the 2034 option is $18 million with a $7 million buyout. It's the first major long-term deal this Baltimore front office has been able to reach with one of the Orioles' standout prospects, and it comes just four games into Basallo's big league career after he made his debut Sunday. He is ranked as baseball's No. 8 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. It's a significant move for a Baltimore team that has come out of a rebuild with several impressive young players — Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Jackson Holliday among them — but hadn't been able to extend any of them beyond their initial periods of team control. Elias and Basallo are expected to hold a news conference Saturday. The Orioles didn't announce the deal until after the clubhouse was closed to reporters before Friday night's game against Houston. Basallo wasn't around when it was open, and neither were a number of other key players, but interim manager Tony Mansolino shed some light on the reaction. "I was sitting in the room, and I won't say who, but I saw several guys right away walk up to Samuel when he walked into the clubhouse and shook his hand, gave him a hug, told him congratulations," Mansolino said. "And some pretty prominent guys did it. Great joy for Samuel in a lot of ways, and just a lot of leadership right there by some of those guys." Rutschman, also a catcher, was terrific for his first couple years in the majors, but he slumped toward the end of 2024 and has hit just .227 during an injury-plagued 2025. Now the Orioles have made a commitment to Basallo, but he can also play first base. It's been a dismal year in Baltimore, with fan frustration high after the team remained cautious in free agency and quickly fell to last place in the AL East after making the playoffs two straight seasons. Basallo's recent call-up was much anticipated, and now the Orioles have shown a willingness to spend a bit more if that's what's needed to hold onto young talent. "The agreement with Samuel is just a catalyst for the next exciting period of Orioles baseball," owner David Rubenstein said. "I thank Mike Elias, (vice president for international scouting and operations) Koby Perez, and the entire baseball operations group for their effort and diligence in securing Samuel as a key piece of the future of the organization." Basallo, a native of the Dominican Republic, originally signed with the Orioles during the 2020-21 international signing period. "You think back to when Mike came in, there was kind of a lack of a Latin American program," Mansolino said. "I think there's a lot of significance that the first extension is a guy that came through the brand new Latin American program." Also Friday, the Orioles put infielder Jordan Westburg (right ankle sprain) on the 10-day injured list — retroactive to Tuesday — and right-hander Brandon Young (left hamstring) on the 15-day IL. They also transferred right-hander Félix Bautista (right shoulder surgery) and catcher Gary Sanchez (right knee sprain) to the 60-day IL and selected the contracts of right-hander Matt Bowman and infielder Vimael Machín from Triple-A Norfolk. ___ AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb