The American League is full of players who have done enough this season to make a contract extension feel less like a luxury and more like a smart next move. These are the kinds of core pieces teams build around: productive hitters, premium defenders, and a starter who keeps taking the ball. From Detroit to Seattle, a handful of clubs are staring at the same question - how long do they want to keep these players in-house?
Riley Greene has given the Tigers plenty of reasons to act. The 25-year-old has supplied solid raw power with 11 home runs and a .284 batting average, and he is still under team control for two more seasons.
Detroit would have every reason to try to lock him up before he reaches the free-agent market prior to the 2029 season. On June 30, Greene delivered a three-RBI night against the New York Yankees that included two home runs, and he also hit a milestone by becoming the third player in franchise history to post more than 85 home runs, 300 runs and 300 RBI before turning 26.
Toronto has a similar decision to make with Daulton Varsho. He signed a one-year, $10 million deal in the offseason, but this is his final season before free agency.
The 2024 Gold Glover has been one of the most valuable defensive outfielders in the game, leading all MLB outfielders in Defensive Runs Saved since 2023 with 64. He has added three Outs Above Average this season, which puts him in the 84th percentile.
Offensively, Varsho has been uneven, but he still gives the Blue Jays a left-handed power threat who is tied for third on the team with seven home runs. His ceiling showed up on May 13, when he hit a walk-off grand slam against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Shea Langeliers has also made a strong case in Oakland. The 28-year-old Athletics catcher launched his 20th home run of the season on July 1, giving him four straight seasons with at least 20 homers.
He signed a one-year, $5.25 million contract in the offseason, and with the Athletics already extending young players like Jacob Wilson, Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstorm and Lawrence Butler, Langeliers looks like the next name in line. His bat speed this season sits in the 87th percentile at 75.3 mph, and he remains the front-runner in Phase 2 of voting for AL All-Star catcher.
Baltimore has its own cornerstone to think about in Gunnar Henderson. The 25-year-old, a former Rookie of the Year, signed a one-year, $8.5 million contract in the offseason and continues to look like a franchise player in the making.
He has put up 16 home runs and six stolen bases while providing top-tier defense at shortstop, where he owns three OAA and 88.1 mph arm strength. Henderson is under club control through 2028, but getting a deal done now would let the Orioles keep him through his prime before free agency creates the chance for costs to rise.
Then there is Logan Gilbert, the Mariners’ steady hand in the rotation. The 29-year-old right-hander has a career 3.56 ERA and has been durable enough to become a fixture for Seattle.
This season, the 2024 All-Star has gone 6-5 with a 3.42 ERA and 107 strikeouts across 100 innings pitched. He signed a one-year, $10.927 million deal in the offseason, and the Mariners’ front office has already shown interest in keeping him long-term.
The complication is familiar for pitchers: the market can get tricky. Still, with his performance and his deep arsenal, Seattle has plenty to weigh as it looks at extending one of its homegrown arms.
In Other News...
Orioles Need To See This From Jackson Holliday Before 2027 Plans Clear
Jackson Holliday is back with the Orioles after missing the first two months of the season with an injury, and the return has come with the kind of scrutiny that follows any top prospect in Baltimore. He is still young for his experience level and the organization has long viewed him as a major part of its future, but the early version of his comeback has not looked like the breakout many expected.
What the Orioles need now is a clearer sign that his bat is moving in the right direction, especially in the way he handles pitches and puts balls in play. For a club trying to map out its next few seasons, Hollidays development is not just about getting him healthy again, it is about finding out whether he can still grow into the role they once seemed ready to hand him. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles May Have Learned Something Concerning About Trey Gibson
Trey Gibsons first look in the big leagues gave the Orioles a reminder that pitching prospects rarely arrive with a straight line from the minors to Camden Yards. Promoted because of injuries in the rotation, the right-hander flashed the kind of arm that made him one of Baltimores better young pitchers, but the results also showed how quickly the margin shrinks against major league hitters when command slips.
What makes Gibson worth watching is that the stuff has not disappeared, and his Double-A success earlier this season suggested a pitcher who could miss bats and limit damage when everything was synced up. The concern now is less about whether he belongs in the organizations future plans and more about how long it will take for his command to catch up, because that will determine whether he is just depth for now or someone who can truly push for a rotation job down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Could Force Orioles Fans To Rethink The Trade Deadline
The Astros surge back into the American League West and wild-card picture has changed the tone around their deadline plans, turning a club that looked like a likely seller into one that may be shopping for help instead. For Baltimore fans, that matters because Houstons new posture could put the Orioles on the other side of the market, with Bleacher Reports Kerry Miller pointing to a pair of Baltimore players as possible fits if the Astros decide to buy.
One of those names would make sense for a Houston team looking to add offense, even if the power production has not matched last years pace. The other has been working through a rocky overall line, but a strong June suggested there may still be more upside there than the season-long numbers show, which is exactly the kind of profile a contender can talk itself into when the deadline starts to tighten up. [Read more 🡒]