Orioles analyst predicts Gunnar Henderson unlikely to mirror Bobby Witt Jr.'s career decision

The Baltimore Orioles are unlikely to sign an extension with Gunnar Henderson despite being urged to do so, according to Paul Mancano of the "Banner Baseball Show." The former Rookie of the Year made his first All-Star appearance this season and is one of the most promising young talents in the majors.

Henderson now finds himself in a similar situation to Bobby Witt Jr. last year, but Mancano doesn't see him extending with the Orioles:

"In some ways it feels like a moot conversation because it's very difficult to imagine Gunnar Henderson and Scott Boras agreeing to a long-term contract extension. He turns 24 in June, he's going to be entering his age 28 season when he enters free agency... the Orioles may have already missed their window for a Gunnar extension, even if there was one.

"Bobby Witt Jr.'s contract extension with KC I think gave a lot of fans hope because he's in a similar spot. Both of thise guys are probably going to be near the top of MVP voting for the next five years, probably 10 years... I think they're just different players, and they're different guys who are going to approach free agency ina different way."

Gunnar Henderson was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2019 MLB draft and made his major league debut in 2022. He won the Rookie of the Year in 2023 and followed it with an All-Star season this year.

While Henderson is set to have a career-long comparison with Bobby Witt Jr. as two players of similar age and talent, Mancano believes that they are very different personalities off the field. Another difference is that while Witt was uninterested in cashing in as a free agent, Henderson is expected to wait until the last moment to maximize his value, in typical Scott Boras fashion.

Scott Boras gives his take on how Juan Soto's contract will affect younger players like Gunnar Henderson

Baltimore Orioles youngster Gunnar Henderson is represented by super agent Scott Boras who has a reputation for pushing players towards free agency. When asked if Juan Soto's historic contract would persuade other young players to do the same, Boras replied:

"I think that adage is something that yours truly has been talking about for a long time with select players...there's been a lot of players who benefitted from signing early too."

As of now, it looks like Henderson is set to follow Soto's example and cash in after entering free agency. He will no doubt attract a huge contract when that day comes if he continues putting up the same numbers in the MLB this way.