BALTIMORE — Having reached arbitration eligibility for the first time in his MLB career, Gunnar Henderson is set for a significant raise during the 2026 season.
The Orioles avoided arbitration with their star shortstop on Thursday, as Henderson agreed to a 2026 contract worth $8.5 million, a source told MLB.com. The club has not confirmed the deal.
Baltimore has also agreed to 2026 terms with newly acquired outfielder Taylor Ward ($12.175 million), catcher Adley Rutschman ($7.25 million), first baseman Ryan Mountcastle ($6.787 million with a 2027 team option worth $7.5 million), left-hander Trevor Rogers ($6.2 million), right-hander Dean Kremer ($5.75 million) and newly acquired righty Shane Baz ($3.5 million), according to sources. The deals have not been confirmed by the club.
Henderson’s $8.5 million marks a franchise record for a player in his first year of arbitration eligibility. The 24-year-old slashed .274/.349/.438 with 17 homers and 30 steals in 154 games in 2025. That may have been a step back from his All-Star season in ’24 — when he hit .281 with 37 homers — but he was still worth 5.3 WAR according to Baseball-Reference, good for 11th in the American League among position players.
The recipient of the team’s Most Valuable Oriole Award in both ’23 and ’24, Henderson is scheduled to be eligible for free agency following the 2028 season.
Ward was acquired from the Angels in exchange for starter Grayson Rodriguez on Nov. 19 after the 32-year-old slashed .228/.317/.475 last season with 36 homers, 31 doubles and 103 RBIs, setting career highs in all three of those categories. He is set to become a free agent after the 2026 season.
Like Ward, Mountcastle, 28, was also in his final year of arbitration eligibility. The first baseman was limited to 89 games in ’25 due to a right hamstring strain, slashing .250/.286/.367 with seven homers and 35 RBIs.
Rogers, 28, received a significant bump in salary ($2.6 million to $6.2 million) in his final year of arbitration eligibility following a career year in 2025, during which he recorded a 1.81 ERA in 109 2/3 innings over 18 starts to earn him the Most Valuable Oriole Award and a ninth-place finish in American League Cy Young Award voting. The southpaw is set to become a free agent after the ’26 season.
Rutschman, 27, and Kremer, 30, each have one more year of arbitration eligibility before being scheduled to hit free agency following the 2027 season.
Baz is under team control through the end of the 2028 season. The 26-year-old right-hander was traded from the Rays to the Orioles on Dec. 19 after posting a 4.87 ERA in 31 starts in ’25.
The O’s entered Thursday with 11 arb-eligible players, a group that also included left-hander Keegan Akin and right-handers Kyle Bradish, Yennier Cano and Tyler Wells.
