According to multiple industry sources, the Baltimore Orioles and top prospect catcher Samuel Basallo have agreed to terms on an eight-year, $67 million extension.
The deal, once completed, will begin next season and includes a club option as well. It can max out at $88.5 million and is the largest pre-arbitration extension for a catcher.
The extension for Basallo, who is the O’s top-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline, comes five days after he made his big league debut in Houston. In four games, he has recorded five RBIs with a .286 average.
The recently-turned 21-year-old jumped from Low-A to Double-A at age 18, reached Triple-A last year just after his 20th birthday and crushed Triple-A pitching this season, hitting .270/.377/.589 with 23 home runs in 76 games before his promotion.
A slugging left-handed hitter, who was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2021 for $1.3 million, Basallo is regarded as the best hitter in the minor leagues this season and has impressed in his short time in the big leagues.
While the O’s already have a two-time All-Star backstop in Adley Rutschman, Basallo could also see time at first base, where he has played more than 100 games over his five minor league seasons, and, of course, as a designated hitter.
This deal is the first long-term contract extension Orioles GM Mike Elias has given out to a homegrown, young talent in his tenure in Charm City.
UPDATE: According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Basallo has passed his physical, and the deal is done. He will receive a $5 million signing bonus as part of the deal.
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