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Orioles Extensions Could Get Dicey

Gausman and Bundy before a Baysox game during national anthem
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Friday was a busy day that saw superstar professional athletes such as Tony Romo, Justin Verlander, Buster Posey and Adam Wainwright sign monstrous deals to stay with their current clubs. The numbers are as follows:

1.) Justin Verlander- Five-year extension, $140m, $22m option in year six (with option, $27m/yr.)

2.) Adam Wainwright- Five-year extension, $97.5m ($19.5m/yr.)

3.) Buster Posey- Nine-year contract, $167m, $19m option in year 10 (with option, $18.6m/yr.)

4.) Tony Romo- Six-year extension, $108m ($18m/yr.)

Justin Verlander’s extension is added on to the two years, $40 million he is still owed on his previous contract, meaning he could earn up to $202 million over the next eight years. All of this got me thinking…

What are the Orioles going to do when their time comes to extend some players?

While the Baltimore Orioles’ future looks bright with players like Adam Jones and Matt Wieters coming into their prime years and young up-and-comers like Manny Machado, Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman just starting to make headlines, one has to wonder just what this notoriously frugal team is going to do.

Yes, Jones signed a six-year, $85.5 million extension last season (the largest in franchise history). While $14.25 million annually is nothing to scoff at, it falls well sure of the aforementioned contracts. With Wieters being the obvious choice to receive the next extension, at what cost will it be to the Orioles?

What’s more, Wieters is a Scott Boras client, which means that he is likely to test free agency in his first year of eligibility in 2015, which should only drive the price up on the Gold Glove winning, All-Star backstop. Wieters is likely to command Posey-like money, if not more, something the Orioles have never seemed likely to cooperate with.

In 2008, the O’s were rumored to have offered Severna Park native Mark Teixeira a seven-year deal worth $140 million. I say rumored because, well, in my opinion it was all lip service designed to pique the interest of a disenchanted fan base in their dwindling franchise.

And we all know what happened next as the slick-fielding, power-hitting first baseman spurned his hometown team to sign with the rival Yankees. Let’s be honest, the guy was never going to sign here anyway.

My guess is that the O’s get the deal done with Wieters and he is in black and orange for the next decade. The same goes for Machado, whose service time is likely up in 2018, barring any unforeseen setback in 2013. My worry is about Bundy and Gausman.

The Orioles have been hesitant to ink any pitcher to more than a three-year deal ever since Scott Erickson spent the majority of his five-year, $32 million contract being either ineffective or on the disabled list. The closest they came was in offering Edwin Jackson a four-year deal last offseason, an offer the erratic pitcher turned down in lieu of a one-year, make-good deal with the Nationals.

While the service time has yet to even start for the young and talented duo, those clocks should start ticking next season as both Bundy and Gausman are likely to anchor the Orioles’ rotation out of spring training.

Both pitchers are under team control through 2019 in that scenario, at which time Bundy will be 27 and Gausman will be 28. In other words, both pitchers, projected as potential aces, will be just entering their prime. Do the Orioles stick to their ways and low-ball the tandem, or do they do the right thing by their players and fans and get the deals done?

This is all posturing of course, as neither pitcher has proven his mettle yet and both could turn out to be busts (though not likely). But in a sports landscape that seems to be immune to a bleeding economy, the time is coming where the Orioles are going to have to put up or shut up. In Baltimore, the silence could be deafening.

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