Elias: "There’s guys on this team that we would like to have on this team longer than they’re currently slated for"

Questions about contract extensions for young players are posed to Elias each time that he speaks to the media. And he’s always provided the stock answer about how it isn’t beneficial for either side to share details and possibly damage the agents’ trust.

The Orioles are the only team in the majors since 2019 that hasn’t signed a player to an extension of four-plus guaranteed years. They aren’t short on candidates with high draft picks Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg and Colton Cowser on the roster. And they’re under new ownership since billionaire David Rubenstein purchased the team.

“I’m aware of what’s going on and I’m aware of the conversation around us. I guess I’ll be a little more revelatory than I have been,” Elias said.

It wouldn’t be a typical scrum today.

“This is something we’re working on,” Elias said. “There’s guys on this team that we would like to have on this team longer than they’re currently slated for. It’s not a point-and-shoot thing. It’s case by case. There’s different players, different skill levels, different representatives, different philosophies around how to handle players at different age levels. We’ve got some really good ones, and on top of that, we’ve had a very recent ownership change after a kind of protracted thing during a rebuild.

“These guys are great, but they’re relatively new. There’s only so much I can say about it other than it’s something we want to do if it makes sense, that we are working on it and if it happens, we’ll be out here talking about it. It’s certainly not something that I can or want to force unilaterally, so we’ll continue to work on it. In the meantime, the players, I think they love being on this team together, and the way we let them be themselves and play and surround them with good players and good resources. I hope we have a great season, but we will work on the business behind the scenes the best I can, and hopefully we have something at some point that makes sense.” 

Within the division, the Red Sox gave ace Garrett Crochet a six-year, $170 million deal and infielder Kristian Campbell eight years and $60 million, and the Blue Jays kept first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. away from free agency with a 14-year, $500 million contract. In the West, the Athletics signed outfielder Lawrence Butler to a seven-year, $65.5 million deal and the Mariners locked up catcher Cal Raleigh for six years at $105 million.

Over in the National League, the Padres inked Severna Park native Jackson Merrill to a nine-year, $135 million extension and the Diamondbacks handed infielder Ketel Marte $116.5 million over six years with an option.

Being an Oriole for life is an appealing status if the front office can turn it into a reality.

“I think it's terrific if it happens,” Elias said. “I read some quotes that Mark Shapiro made a few weeks ago, the president of Blue Jays, and I thought he said it well, that that is something that is excellent value that needs to come in conjunction with winning. And so we've got to keep an eye on both of those things.

“It's certainly something that we're not oblivious to, the potential value of keeping great athletes in Baltimore when you can. This is Major League Baseball. It's different than other sports, and it's a complicated topic sometimes. But we are doing everything within our power to do as well on this front as we can.”

Outfielder Tyler O’Neill received the first multi-year deal under Elias by signing for $49.5 million over three years, but he can opt out after 2025.

“I think it is very case by case,” Elias said. “There are certainly a number of players in baseball, and I won’t get into more specific than that, that you wouldn’t mind signing up for what appears to be the entirety of their careers. It’s dependent on age, position, skill level, everything about their profile. Very, very case by case. Do not have a hard-and-fast philosophy about contract lengths.”

Elias was asked whether extensions send a message to the clubhouse that the team is serious about winning.

“First of all, I think winning sends a message that we’re serious about winning, so we’ve got to take care of that. And the last couple years we have,” Elias replied.

“I think even with our slow start, we are the winningest team in the American League the last two years,” he added. “Now, we're not going to rest on those laurels. We’re 6-9 right now. We’ve got to get it going again. But this is a very serious, competitive organization. We've had a lot of major change recently. We're doing a lot around the organization to spruce up the organization - the stadiums, the facilities, the resources available to the players behind the scenes. There are going to be contracts involved in that, free agent extensions. It's going to happen over time.

“That's the most I can say about it right now, but it's certainly something that my staff and I and the ownership group are applying a lot of attention to.”