Orioles double down on Samuel Basallo stance after signing Gold Glove winning catcher

The Orioles really don't want to call up Samuel Basallo, do they?

Eric Cole

2025 Baltimore Orioles Spring Training / Peyton Stoike/Baltimore Orioles/GettyImages

At this point, the trials and tribulations of Baltimore Orioles catchers have been well documented. Adley Rutschman looked rough at the plate this season before he got hurt and the player the Orioles decided to call up instead of Samuel Basallo, Maverick Handley, immediately got hurt as well.

At some point, one would think that Baltimore would be forced to give their top prospect a shot, but the Orioles appear to be stubbornly adhering to their position based on their latest signing.

The Orioles have Gary Sanchez to hold down the fort for now, so calling up Chadwick Tromp makes at least some sense in terms of expected playing time. However, it seems like Baltimore really wants to make sure they don't have to call up Basallo anytime soon after signing Jacob Stallings to a minor league deal.

Orioles sign Jacob Stallings to minor-league deal in latest step to avoid calling up Samuel Basallo

On the surface, this move looks like a depth signing that is extremely unlikely to move the needle. The Orioles need some short-term catching depth and Stallings has extensive big league experience and won a Gold Glove back in 2021. If he sees significant playing time, something else will have gone horribly wrong.

However, it also solidifies that there's little chance that Basallo, one of the best hitting prospects in the minors, is going to get an opportunity anytime soon. Catcher is the one position where you really need to prioritize minor league reps and learning to play the actual position, but the Orioles are going to have to see what they actually have in Basallo at some point soon instead of leaving him at Triple-A to rot.

For now, it seems like Basallo will have to wait. Even if something happens to Sanchez or Tromp, Baltimore signing Stallings is a clear signal that they would prefer a journeyman veteran they barely know behind the plate than start Basallo's service time clock. It is a shame, but this is just how the Orioles' front office wants to operate these days.

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Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.