The Baltimore Orioles made a key move on Friday morning, extending top catching prospect Samuel Basallo for eight years and $67 million. He was recently called up to the Major Leagues with the Orioles well out of postseason contention, and he has performed quite well since making his debut on August 17. He hasn't homered yet, but is hitting .286/.333/.357 with a .690 OPS in his 14 at-bats. He'll likely become a fixture in Baltimore after signing this contract extension.
However, Basallo once had a chance to become a member of the New York Yankees. According to Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, New York had a deal worked out with him as an amateur free agent before he became eligible to sign in January of 2021.
The signing of Gerrit Cole cost them Basallo, who was cut loose and signed for $1.3 million with the Orioles.
Yankees haters can point and laugh about Samuel Basallo deal
Granted, Cole has done well for the Yankees. He won a Cy Young in 2023 and helped get the Yankees to the World Series in 2024. However, he is now recovering from Tommy John surgery.
And while the Yankees had a lot of catching depth at the time, Basallo could have made it even better. Now, the Yankees are stuck paying Cole, who is likely not going to pitch until later in the 2026 season. So, this is something that Yankees fans might not be a big fan of at the moment. But those who do not like the Yankees will certainly take a lot of sick pleasure in seeing this not pan out for them.
Basallo is off to a good start thus far, and his future appears incredibly bright. Baltimore could bounce back into contention next year with a very strong young core that features Basallo and other players such as Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg and Coby Mayo.
Meanwhile, the Yankees don't have a ton of top prospects in their system. The Orioles might be set up better for long-term success despite where they sit in the standings compared to the Yankees.
It's certainly not going to be fun for Yankees fans to think about having missed out on somebody who could have been a truly dynamic player for them. We'll see how the contract ultimately pans out for the Orioles, but the Yankees are now stuck paying an injured Cole and don't have Basallo in their mix.