As the Baltimore Orioles signed pitcher Shane Baz to a $68 million contract extension, it marked another instance of the team sharing confidence in the team they've been crafting ahead of the 2026 season. With Orioles general manager Mike Elias speaking highly of Baz after the contract extension, the owner's comments on the matter seem to signal that more contract extensions could be on the way.

Baltimore owner David Rubenstein would speak to the media, along with Elias, about the Baz extension, saying that the team is “open for business.” Rubenstein would go into how the ownership encouraged Elias to go through with the Baz extension and how they hope it's a sign of a long-term trend with the team.

“We're open for business,” Rubenstein said, according to The Baltimore Sun. “Mike has a great reputation in knowing how to assess talent, and so we're very happy with this. When he told me this was possible, we encouraged him to move forward and get it done. So we hope it's a sign to people that we're very serious about making this a long-term proposition for the ownership group and for the team, and we want to do as much as we can to make this team a championship team and make bottom we're proud of the team we've put on the field.”

The Orioles are ‘ecstatic” to keep Shane Baz

With the Orioles' 2026 season underway, signing Baz long-term is an upside signing, as though suffering from injuries in the past with the Tampa Bay Rays, the 26-year-old has displayed impressive traits. Elias would release a statement on Saturday, sharing how “ecstatic” the team is in keeping Baz.

“We were ecstatic to acquire a pitcher of Shane’s talent during the offseason and are thrilled we could come to a long-term agreement to keep him in Baltimore. Our ownership group, led by David Rubenstein, continues to provide our organization with support and resources as we pursue consistent success on the field,” Elias wrote, via Jacob Calvin Meyer.

At any rate, it remains to be seen how the Orioles will continue to conduct business.