Does Carlos Martinez deal provide a framework for Kevin Gausman, others?

It's a question that all major league teams face at some point with their promising young talent: When is the right time to take a risk and sign that player to a long-term contract?

On the plus side, you can lock up a core player for years to come, buy out some free agent years and have some cost certainty. You may even be able to save a few million dollars. But there is potential on the negative side, because those dollars are guaranteed despite any future injury and/or player drop-off in performance. What if the player gets hurt and/or doesn't pan out to be as good as you thought? The future salaries still have to be paid.

The St. Louis Cardinals recently locked up right-handed starting pitcher Carlos Martinez with a deal that could provide a possible framework for a future Orioles deal with one of their own right-handers, Kevin Gausman. And maybe a year or two after that with Dylan Bundy.

Martinez was signed to a five-year deal that reportedly guarantees $51 million. The club will pay him $4.5 million this year and then $11.5 million over the following four seasons from 2018-2021. St. Louis holds a club option that is reportedly for $17 million with a $500,000 buyout in 2022 and for $18 million with a $500,000 buyout in 2023.

Martinez, who was originally under team control through 2019 before this contract, now is under team control through 2021 at the least and possibly through 2023 with the option years. St. Louis bought out at least two free agent seasons.

Comparing their 2016 stats:
Martinez: 16-9 with a 3.04 ERA, 195 innings, 1.22 WHIP, 7.8 hits/nine innings, 3.2 walks/nine innings and 8.0 strikeouts/nine innings
Gausman: 9-12 with a 3.61 ERA, 180 innings, 1.28 WHIP, 9.2 hits/nine innings, 2.4 walks/nine innings and 8.7 strikeouts/nine innings

Martinez is the better pitcher right now, ranking 10th in the majors in ERA at 3.02 the last two years among pitchers with 300 or more innings. He is 25 and has 3.073 years of service time. Gausman is 26 with 2.151 years of service.

In his first year of arbitration eligibility last year, Martinez earned $3.7 million. In his first year of arbitration this year, Gausman was signed to a deal for $3.45 million and that could increase to $3.55 million if he meets incentives for starts made.

Gausman is under Orioles control through 2020, so the Orioles have his services for four more seasons, even without him inking a long-term deal. To buy out even one free agent year, the Orioles would have to sign him to a five-year deal if that contract was starting in 2017. So they've got him locked up for a long stretch even without a long-term deal at this point.

If the Orioles did look to even think about locking up Gausman or any other young player right now, those options years tacked onto the end of a deal, like with Martinez, could be important. They provide a club with the chance to lock up a player over a longer term with few gauranteed dollars on the line - just the buyout portion of the contract.

For any player, especially a pitcher, a five-year deal is a risk. Especially when a team can go season to season through arbitration. Going year to year minimizes the injury risk or the lack of performance risk.

While the Orioles know they have Gausman under team control through 2020, they are only on the hook right now for his 2017 salary. Sure, they fully expect him to be a core piece and a top-of-the-rotation starter for years to come. But if something kept that from happening, they are not locked in right now for any long-term dollars.

On the other hand, if they signed Gausman right now to a deal similar to what Martinez got, they could be getting Gausman at a potential bargain if he continues to improve and becomes an All-Star-caliber starter.

The club already has so many players that can be free agents soon, a list that includes Chris Tillman after the 2017 season and Manny Machado, Zach Britton and Adam Jones following the 2018 season.

With all that to ponder and address, should the Orioles also entertain a multi-year deal for Gausman? Could that deal look similar to the extension for Martinez?

Today's game airs on MASN: Orioles fans get their first chance to watch a game this afternoon. The Orioles host the Yankees at 1 p.m. and the game will air live on MASN. The game will replayed twice later tonight.

Here are the seven games that will be televised during spring training on MASN:

* Monday, Feb. 27 at 1 p.m., New York Yankees vs. Orioles (replays at 7 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.)
* Sunday, March 5 at 1 p.m., Philadelphia Phillies vs. Orioles (replays at 4 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.)
* Wednesday, March 8 at 1 p.m., Toronto Blue Jays vs. Orioles (replays at 7 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.)
* Saturday, March 11 at 1 p.m., Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Orioles (replays at 7 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.)
* Sunday, March 19 at 1 p.m., Detroit Tigers vs. Orioles (replays at 4 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.)
* Wednesday, March 22 at 6 p.m., Tampa Bay Rays vs. Orioles (replay at 11:30 p.m. )
* Thursday, March 30 at 1 p.m., Detroit Tigers vs. Orioles (replays at 7 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.)