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Baltimore Orioles: Adley Rutschman Signs Record-Breaking Deal

By Nick Stevens

Omaha, NE - JUNE 28: Catcher Adley Rutschman #35 of the Oregon State Beavers singes in a run in the first inning against the Arkansas Razorbacks during game three of the College World Series Championship Series on June 28, 2018 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
Omaha, NE - JUNE 28: Catcher Adley Rutschman #35 of the Oregon State Beavers singes in a run in the first inning against the Arkansas Razorbacks during game three of the College World Series Championship Series on June 28, 2018 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /
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The Baltimore Orioles secured not one, but two stellar prospects to kick off the week.

It’s official. Adley Rutschman has put pen to paper and is officially a member of the Baltimore Orioles. There was never doubt about him signing with the Orioles, but to finally see it happen is quite the feeling.

As reported by MASN’s Roch Kubatko, the Orioles will officially introduce Rutschman to the fanbase on Tuesday night as the Orioles welcome Manny Machado and the San Diego Padres for a quick two-game set. Tuesday night is a Christmas themed game for the Orioles, with Mike Elias providing Birdland with the best possible Christmas present in the top catching prospect, probably ever.

The switch-hitting catcher out of Oregon State has agreed to a record-breaking $8.1 million signing bonus. The bonus is slightly below the $8.42 million slot value assigned to the number one overall pick in the 2019 draft, but still higher than Gerrit Cole‘s $8 million signing bonus from the 2011 MLB draft.

The news of Rustchman signing his deal comes just hours after it was reported that second-round pick Gunnar Henderson is expected to sign an over-slot deal with the Baltimore Orioles. Considered to be one of the top high school prospects in the 2019 draft, Henderson is an exciting teenage shortstop with all of the tools to develop into a future major leaguer on the left side of the infield.

While Henderson will take a little longer to reach the majors, Rutschman figures to take much less time to season down in the minor leagues. Fans have eagerly wanted to know where Rutschman will begin his major league career, but that question has yet to be answered. Now that he has officially signed, we will likely get an answer to this question on Tuesday night.

MASN’s Steve Melewski was asked this question numerous times on Twitter earlier today.

I especially like this idea. Mike Elias has already hinted at easing Rutschman into the pros by having him play some DH/1B once he joins an affiliate, just to give his knees a break after a full season of playing PAC-12 college baseball. A quick stop in Aberdeen allows Rutschman to get his feet wet again after taking the past few weeks to complete his studies at Oregon State and travel on his whirlwind award ceremony tour.

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Rutschman now figures to slot in as the top prospect in the O’s system. The addition of Rutschman and Henderson, along with the improvements shown by top prospects such as Grayson Rodriguez, Ryan Mountcastle, and others likely means a nice jump in the rankings for this farm system as a whole. Call it a rebuild, a step back, a regrouping, or whatever you want, the Baltimore Orioles are doing it right here in the first few months.

Next. Gunnar Henderson Set To Sign With Orioles. dark

If you don’t have your tickets to Tuesday’s game, what are you waiting for! See you all at Camden Yards Tuesday night to help give a warm welcome to our new favorite Oriole, Adley Rutschman.

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