Orioles should not extend Gunnar Henderson now | MAILBAG

Question: One of your responses regarding Gunnar Henderson is about his agent, Scott Boras, who rarely/never has his clients accept an extension until free agency. It would seem to me that if the Orioles were to offer an extension to Henderson, both he and his agent would be wise to accept it. Gunnar’s performance certainly isn’t buttering his bread, it seems. What do you think? From: Tony T., Eagle, Colorado

Answer: Tony, extending Gunnar Henderson now would be a bad idea for both sides. I’m sure that Henderson is confident he’ll regain his stroke, whether it’s in the last two months of this season or next season.

The Orioles wouldn’t want to extend a player who’s having a down year. They’d want to make sure he’s going to rebound before they do so.

It’s best for both sides to negotiate extensions when players are performing well, not when they’re down. It’s not like buying a stock when it’s down and hoping it goes up.

Question: I saw that Jonathan Rodríguez was just traded to the Pirates for “cash considerations.”  What does that really mean?  Why didn’t the Orioles get a player back? Is it actually the completion of another trade? Is this setting up another trade to come, perhaps? From: Chris R.

Answer: Chris, generally when a player is traded for cash considerations, the team trading the player receives $100,000 for him.

The Orioles designated Rodríguez for assignment, and if they couldn’t make a deal for him, they’d put him on waivers. If a team claimed him, they’d owe the Orioles $20,000. So, the Orioles made $80,000 more by trading him than they would have if they lost him on a waiver claim.

It’s neither the completion of another trade nor setting up another trade to come. 

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.