The support that teammates showed for young Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo earlier today at his news conference didn’t surprise interim manager Tony Mansolino. He knew that players would arrive early at the ballpark and fill out rows of seats. He knew that the camaraderie would be on display again.
The media just happened to be there.
“I think externally it’s probably great to see it,” Mansolino said. “I think internally we know how it is. Though thick and thin, through the winning, the losing, the injuries, through the negativity this year, through all the bad stuff this year, it’s stayed like that. This is a group that’s won a lot of games the last couple years. They didn’t do it because they’re bad dudes or because they don’t get along with each other. It’s quite the opposite.
“Not surprising for you guys to probably see it. Probably good to see it for you guys. Probably expected more from me.”
Shortstop Gunnar Henderson sat on one of the chairs in the middle of the room and joked about borrowing a reporters digital recorder and asking a question. This was a day to celebrate, to have fun. A nice distraction, too, from back-to-back losses to begin the homestand.
“He’s obviously going to be here for the next eight, nine years. Being able to be there and support your teammates whenever they have something of that caliber is, yeah, just super happy to be there for him,” Henderson said.
“I know he’s going to be able to take care of him and his family. That’s the most important thing is being able to give them security. Yeah, just super happy for him.”
“It’s awesome,” said first baseman Ryan Mountcastle. “For him to be so young and be able to sign a deal like that, it’s super cool and super happy for him and his family.”
“It’s great,” pitcher Cade Povich said after Friday night’s game. “Starting today, I wasn’t around too much, so I didn’t really get to talk to him. But being with him in Norfolk when I was rehabbing, and seeing the energy that he brought in Boston when he got the hits, and the energy and the excitement and happiness that he plays with, it’s awesome for him. I wish him a ton of luck. It’s gonna be cool to see him around here for a long time.”
Tracking the players who walked into the auxiliary clubhouse required some quick scribbling. Jordan Westburg was first, and then the floodgates opened.
“Just to show support for him,” Mountcastle said when asked about the large turnout. “That’s a really big deal, really a big accomplishment, and we just all wanted to be there for him.
“I feel like he’s already had a couple big hits in some of these games early on. Got to see him a little bit while I was rehabbing the last couple weeks. He’s definitely a really good player and he’s gonna have a really good career.”
The organization appears to be making a statement beyond its commitment to Basallo, who still hasn’t spent a full week in the majors. Other players could be in line for lucrative deals.
Perhaps a message was sent this week.
“It felt like it was only a matter of time before they start investing in the guys. He’s an incredibly talented player and super deserving of it," Henderson said.
“Anytime they show that kind of value in a player and then obviously taking action to show that is very encouraging I feel like for everybody in here.”
“It shows they’re willing to spend some money on some of the homegrown talent,” Mountcastle said, “and hopefully there’s more to come.”
Henderson doesn’t reach free agency until after the 2028 season. His first year of arbitration eligibility is coming after this season. Neither side is going to discuss contract extensions, but Henderson obviously would listen if approached.
That’s the obvious response.
“I mean, if they bring it there, then I’ll definitely look at it with my team and be happy to look it over,” he said.
“For myself speaking, obviously I want to be in a winning culture. That’s the No. 1 thing for me is being on winning teams, because I love winning. I hate to lose, honestly, more than I like to win. Losing is something that, it doesn’t sit well with me. So I just want to be in a place where I can win. I’ll continue to show that.”
Mansolino doesn’t think the Orioles are a tough sell, though money usually does the talking.
“I’d imagine there’s guys that wanna stay here long term,” he said. “I don’t think there’s guys sitting in there that they don’t want that. I think a lot of them want that because they want to be here because Baltimore’s a good to be and this team’s gonna win.
“I know this has been … we had an ugly month and a half in April and half of May, but outside of that it’s kind of been back to the usual ways in a lot of ways in spite of the injuries, in spite of everything kind of surrounding us. Guys want to stay, they want to be here. I just think they’re good teammates, and when you’re a good teammate, you might not be getting what you want in that moment, but you’re happy when your teammate gets it.”
* Outfielder Tyler O’Neill also attended today’s news conference. He remains on the injured list with right wrist inflammation and isn’t close to a return.
“He grabbed a bat here recently, he started moving it,” Mansolino said. “Kind of mixed results on that, so taking another step back and kind of waiting, unfortunately.”