Gunnar Henderson 2024

[interloper]

Big pre-free agent extensions are very rare. They are even more rare when it's an MVP-caliber player.

Just saying. 

Even the Yankees couldn't get Judge to extend prior to free agency. These guys test the market and they get an enormous free agent deal and if it's with the same team, great, but they're not going to accept less than their anticipated free agent dollar amount. Why would they?

I think expecting a player like Gunnar to extend is setting yourself up for disappointment. It's not an Orioles thing. He would be unlikely to extend no matter what team he plays for. If the Orioles want to keep him, they will have to pay him to stay as a free agent, like they did with Chris Davis, like the Yankees did with Judge, etc. 

Edited July 18 by interloper

[Can_of_corn]

8 minutes ago, baltfan said:

He absolutely lived up to his original contract.  I am not sure if he will the extension.

I've noticed that when players opt out of deals and the teams resign them that a lot of fans act as if it's still the original contract.

Manny has signed two deals with the Padres, the first one went fine for both sides.

Edited July 18 by Can_of_corn

[Can_of_corn]

5 minutes ago, interloper said:

Big pre-free agent extensions are very rare. They are even more rare when it's an MVP-caliber player.

Just saying. 

Even the Yankees couldn't get Judge to extend prior to free agency. These guys test the market and they get an enormous free agent deal and if it's with the same team, great, but they're not going to accept less than their anticipated free agent dollar amount. Why would they?

I think expecting a player like Gunnar to extend is setting yourself up for disappointment. It's not an Orioles thing. He would be unlikely to extend no matter what team he plays for. If the Orioles want to keep him, they will have to pay him to stay as a free agent, like they did with Chris Davis, like the Yankees did with Judge, etc. 

Terrible examples of why a team would do it but Franco, Julio Rodriguez, Carroll and Acuna are all "MVP-caliber" players that signed big pre-free agent extensions in the last few years.

[baltfan]

21 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Terrible examples of why a team would do it but Franco, Julio Rodriguez, Carroll and Acuna are all "MVP-caliber" players that signed big pre-free agent extensions in the last few years.

Don't forget Witt, Jr.

[interloper]

36 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Terrible examples of why a team would do it but Franco, Julio Rodriguez, Carroll and Acuna are all "MVP-caliber" players that signed big pre-free agent extensions in the last few years.

That's fair, good examples.

I still think it's pretty rare overall and I have no plans in deluding myself about a Gunnar extension for the next bunch of years and getting increasingly agitated about it a la the Manny Saga. 

[Just Regular]

I think the Rubenstein honeymoon splash timeframe is over and before the off-season we will gain a view of how Gunnar and Corbin perform in October.

If it is very good or very bad, that definitely won't increase the emotions around what does or doesn't happen this off-season.

Elias' actions or lack thereof the next 12 days will impact the employee engagement of his top 10 people.

Moderating investment during 2023 resulted in the team's postseason run ending at 26 innings pitched collectively.    Individuals a top tier team in 2024 probably wouldn't want to give them to like Kyle Gibson, Dean Kremer, Jack Flaherty (2023 version) and Bryan Baker got 7 out of the 26.

11.1 were thrown by Hall, Bradish and Wells, now absent, and just 7.2 were thrown by probable repeaters Coulombe, Cionel, Cano, Webb and Grayson.

[baltfan]

Approach seemed a little different last night. He seemed a bit more defensive with his swings. I can’t remember Gunnar ever having 3 hits in a game with an exit velocity below 90 mph.  

[interloper]

Just now, baltfan said:

Approach seemed a little different last night. He seemed a bit more defensive with his swings. I can’t remember Gunnar ever having 3 hits in a game with an exit velocity below 90 mph.  

Maybe a conscious or unconscious decision to keep his swing from being "too big" after the derby?

[Can_of_corn]

Or just a sample size of one game.

[Aristotelian]

On 7/18/2024 at 3:09 AM, OriolesMagic83 said:

Hopefully Elias will do a better job with Gunnar than Duquette did with Manny.

Unfortunately, Elias could do a great job and get the same result. The player and his agent have to agree. They may not even pick up the phone. If you were Gunnar or his agent, why wouldn't you try free agency on the open market with all those teams bidding against each other? 

[Allan Bryant]

13 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

Unfortunately, Elias could do a great job and get the same result. The player and his agent have to agree. They may not even pick up the phone. If you were Gunnar or his agent, why wouldn't you try free agency on the open market with all those teams bidding against each other? 

Good point , however it depends on the players and their agents what strategy to use . If they want enter free agency market , that’s their right . However that doesn’t stop Orioles from having conversations with rival players and agents. It can go either way 

Edited July 20 by Allan Bryant

[baltfan]

32 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Or just a sample size of one game.

The second and third were definitely instances where he slowed his bat. He has done that some in the past, but generally doesn’t.  In both instances they were outside corner pitches which have been giving him issues.  Could be nothing, could be something. 

[ShoelesJoe]

Half expecting Gunnar to get the day off Sunday, at least to start. He's 0-6 with 5 strike outs against Heaney. 

[Bahama O's Fan]

5 hours ago, ShoelesJoe said:

Half expecting Gunnar to get the day off Sunday, at least to start. He's 0-6 with 5 strike outs against Heaney. 

So...you're saying he's due

[Frobby]

On 7/18/2024 at 10:38 AM, baltfan said:

He absolutely lived up to his original contract.  I am not sure if he will the extension.

The original contract was for 10 years.  This is his 6th year with the team.  He lived up to the first five years of his deal with a little to spare, but this year he’s worth far less.  He had some offseason injuries that hampered him this season, so we’ll see if 2024 is the new normal for him, or just an anomaly.  If it’s the new normal, he’ll end up underperforming his original deal by a lot.  And the five year extension will be a complete disaster.   That was stupid to begin with.