Orioles may be done repeating the same mistake after owner’s latest comments

The Samuel Basallo contract extension will likely have a ripple effect when it comes to the decisions the Baltimore Orioles will be making moving forward. The biggest decision seems to be tied to Adley Rutschman's future, as it seems that the Orioles' incumbent starting catcher will be on the trade block this offseason. It also suggests that the Orioles' front office may have the green light to operate in a different way than they have before.

The latest indication of that may have arrived within David Rubenstein's latest comments. The Orioles' chairman was talking about Basallo's extension and what that could signal for what's next.

“The Orioles’ ownership group is really well capitalized and we have the resources to do these kind of deals,” Rubenstein said. “It takes two to do deals, but we thought this was a perfect one, for the first one of this type," Rubenstein told Steven Melewski, among others. “We have a lot of other talented people on the team who we hope will ultimately want to spend their entire career here or want to spend long-term arrangements with us. We’re committed to doing more of these as soon as we can.”

Orioles may be done repeating the same mistake after owner’s latest comments

On one hand, this is exactly what Orioles fans want to hear. After the 2024 season, there was a sense that the Orioles were going to be the next powerhouse in the American League East. Of course, it was the lack of spending from the Orioles' front office that kind of stalled the momentum they once had. Add in injuries and regression, and the recipe for the 2025 season being a disappointment was clear.

From that perspective, at least Rubenstein is saying the right things at the moment.

But, there's also a sense of "too little, too late" when it comes to Rubenstein's comments. For example, signing Gunnar Henderson to the type of extension they just handed Basallo feels like something that will be turned down instantly by the 24-year-old second baseman.

There is ground to be made up when it comes to the Orioles' being able to sign Henderson to an extension, and we get to the overall theme of Rubenstein's comments. They feel like comments made in hindsight, and asking for the benefit of the doubt is a luxury this regime shouldn't be afforded. Actions matter, and if the action leads to more moves like Basallo's extension, that will be the next step for the team to earn back the trust of their fans.

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