Gunnar Henderson’s hot streak is further proof Orioles are already priced out of his market

While it has seemed pretty obvious for a while now that Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson has priced himself out of what the O's could potentially afford with a long-term deal, his recent hot streak may put the nail in the coffin of any hopes that he could stick around for a while.

Henderson is currently hitting .221/.302/.519, which may not be all that impressive, but he already has 6 home runs and 13 RBI. Henderson mashed 28 homers in 2023 and 34 homers in 2024. He surprisingly regressed a bit in 2025, with just 17, but he is setting a torrid early pace in 2026. His power is impressive, and power-hitting shortstops have a habit of earning insanely rich contracts in free agency.

Gunnar Henderson is as good as gone thanks to his power streak

Just look at other examples like Corey Seager. He signed a 10-year, $325 million contract with the Texas Rangers back in 2021. Bobby Witt Jr. signed an 11-year, $288.7 million deal with the Kansas City Royals in 2024. Willy Adames signed an 8-year, $182 million deal with the San Francisco Giants.

If Henderson can continue to prove that he is a power bat, then he will almost certainly get a contract with at least a $30 million AAV. It also doesn't help that his agent is Scott Boras, a man who has a reputation for milking every cent out of teams on behalf of his clients.

Would the Orioles be willing to fork up that much money? Can they even afford to? They showed in the offseason that they are willing to open up the checkbook. They dished out a five-year, $155 million deal to Pete Alonso, so they have proven they are not going to be cheap.

But Alonso will still be under contract, making $33.5 million per year when Henderson hits free agency after the 2028 season. Starting pitcher Shane Baz's $25.8 million will also be on the books at that point, so that's a good amount of money they already have tied up.

If Baltimore does decide to let Henderson walk, they need to have a contingency plan. Maybe they are hoping No. 5-ranked prospect Wehiwa Aloy will be ready by the time Henderson departs. There are a couple of other young shortstop prospects in the organization who could also be part of the picture by then.

Or perhaps they will just slide Jackson Holliday over from second base to shortstop at that point. He has plenty of experience at the position and is a natural shortstop, so he is not a bad backup plan to have.

It's a shame that the Orioles have to think about who might replace Henderson down the road because he has become such a fan favorite. But financial realities are plain as day, and with every homer Henderson hits, he makes it less likely that Baltimore can retain him.

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