Adley Rutschman doesn't want to talk about his future with the Orioles, but the future is coming anyway

Adley Rutschman was the Baltimore Orioles' lone representative at this year's All-Star Game. It's disappointing the Orioles sent him to the Midsummer Classic alone, but after the season Rutschman had in 2025, there's not a single player on the Orioles that fans were happier to see have an All-Star-caliber start to his 2026 campaign. Rutschman's resurgence comes at a critical time for both him and the Orioles. As of right now, he is under contract with the Orioles for one and a half more seasons, meaning that it is time to start thinking about what Rutschman's future holds.

During his All-Star media availability, Rutschman was asked about both the potential of being traded at the upcoming deadline and the potential of signing a long-term extension. His response to both sets of questions was very similar; he made it clear to everyone that his job is to play baseball and he doesn't think about extensions or trades or anything like that. He was effusive in his praise of Baltimore and the Orioles organization, but beyond that, he was not interested in discussing his future with the team.

The Orioles are going to have to make an Adley Rutschman decision eventually

Whether Rutschman wants to think about it or not, his time in Baltimore will come to an end. The question is: will that be in a few weeks at the deadline, in a year and a half in free agency, or eight years from now after signing an extension?

Rutschman being traded at the deadline is the least likely option of the three. The Orioles clawed their way back into the Wild Card picture with a four-game winning streak going into the All-Star break, and unless they have an immediate post-All-Star swoon, they are going to be in the mix come deadline time. Mike Elias said just a few weeks ago that the Orioles front office is still all in on this year and is preparing to buy. To go from that to we are selling the player that was labeled the 'franchise savior' within a month would be crazy.

The Orioles aren't trading Rutschman. He means too much to the clubhouse as the torchbearer for this era of Orioles baseball. He's also too important to this Orioles team in a strict baseball sense. He's an important top-of-the-order bat and a rock defensively behind the plate. Samuel Basallo has a bright future, but he is not ready to be the full-time primary catcher; that's still Rutschman's position.

The tough part of discussing the potential of a Rutschman extension is that there has been no reporting on what those negotiations have looked like. If Rutschman is telling the truth, then even he doesn't know what has been discussed. In the last few weeks, Mike Elias said that the Orioles want to keep Rutschman forever, and Rutschman said he loves Baltimore. What's the hold-up?

Is there no extension becuase Rutschman is asking for too much? Or is there no extension becuase the Orioles are low-balling him? Nobody knows.

Obviously, the Orioles should want to keep Rutschman, but they do have to draw a line somewhere as far as what they are willing to pay him. As good as he's been, he hasn't been blank-check MVP-level good. If they sign him to a record-breaking catcher contract and then the oblique injuries crop back up and he ages poorly becuase catching is hard, then that's going to leave them in a tough spot. When the Orioles have a young catcher as good as Samuel Basallo, it's hard to justify signing another catcher to a risky contract, even a catcher as good as Adley Rutschman.

It's possible that the Basallo extension gave the Orioles too much leverage over Rutschman, and his camp now thinks they'll have a better shot of extracting a mega deal from a more desperate team in free agency. If that is the case and Rutschman's camp is basically signaling that they intend to sign somewhere else in free agency, then it would be hard to argue if the Orioles decided they needed to trade Rutschman this offseason.

If the hold-up is any other reason besides that, then failing to extend Rutschman would be a big mistake. If it's a matter of the Orioles offering 6 years, $110 million, and Rutschman wants 8 years, $150 million, and that's the reason he walks, then that's unacceptable.

This is an extension that, if it's possible to sign, the Orioles need to get done. They have let far too many veterans walk becuase they had cheaper young prospects who were ready to take their place, only for that prospect to not be nearly as ready as they thought they were. The cycle needs to end now.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow