Samuel Basallo explains reason for signing team-friendly Orioles contract

There's no doubt that the deal Basallo signed is extremely club-friendly. And this became even more apparent when elite Boston Red Sox rookie Roman Anthony came to terms with the team on an eight-year, $130 million contract extension in the same week as Basallo's signing.

For those keeping track, Anthony's deal is almost exactly double the amount of money Basallo is making. And there's a case to be made that Anthony (who, like Basallo, was his team's top prospect before getting called up to the majors) could have received a lot more if he was more patient in agreeing to a deal.

In other words, Basallo is worth a lot more than $67 million over eight years, and this was an absolute bargain for Baltimore.

Samuel Basallo Gets Honest About Team-Friendly Contract Extension

Basallo spoke with Danielle Allentuck of the Baltimore Banner for an August 30 article. One of the things they discussed was why Basallo decided to agree to this deal, despite likely being able to earn even more money.

“I don’t think money is everything. I don’t need $300 million to be happy,” Basallo said, which Allentuck quoted in an August 30 X post.

Basallo went on to talk about his he told his father that he was living happily and comfortably off the $1.3 million signing bonus he got back as an international free agent in 2021, which he immediately put to use by buying his family a house in the Dominican Republic.

Allentuck also wrote that Basallo has made it clear that he wants to play with the Orioles for his entire career. Of course, it's easy to say that within the first few weeks of an eight-year extension, and a lot can happen between now and the time Basallo's contract concludes (which will be when he's 30 years old).

Regardless, Baltimore's fan base seemed to receive a gem of a person in Basallo, both on the field and in life.