The Orioles started addressing their offseason workload considerably earlier than expected. The sessions begin at the warehouse. There are specific areas that must be handled in free agency or the trade market. They have at least 15 players eligible for arbitration, with the total depending on whether reliever Cionel Pérez’s $2.2 million option for 2025 is exercised, and the sides must submit statistics by January 9. They have five players with options and five upcoming free agents.
When the dust settles, which will take a time, the payroll is projected to increase. The height is to be determined, whether it is a step ladder or nosebleed elevation.
Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias stated last week that he is “pretty confident” that the Orioles will “keep investing in the major league payroll.”
With that in mind, here are a few of the many money-based decisions that are pending.
What to do with Pérez
With that in mind, here are a few of the many money-based decisions that are pending.
Pérez filed for $1.4 million last winter, and the Orioles answered with $1.1 million. They avoided a hearing by reaching a deal for $1.2 million and an option for $2.2 million with escalators.
The left-hander appeared in 62 games, three less than previous summer, and his innings were nearly identical at 53 2/3 vs. 53 1/3. His ERA increased from 3.54 to 4.53, while his WHIP decreased from 1.556 to 1.398.
Before and after the break, there were 31 appearances, evenly split. Pérez had a 3.49 ERA and 1.271 WHIP in the first half, and a 5.68 ERA and 1.540 WHIP in the second. He also took the loss in Game 2 of the Wild Card series after being charged with the tie-breaking run in the sixth.
With that in mind, here are a few of the many money-based decisions that are pending.
Pérez is one of the bullpen’s high-leverage relievers and the top left-hander since Danny Coulombe’s elbow surgery in June. He has not allowed a home run since May 31, 2023, when the Guardians hit two. According to MLBTradeRumors.com, his compensation on the arbitration list for next season is projected to be $2.1 million, which appears reasonable given his overall record. The same is true for the base pay on his option, if it is not declined.
That is the decision. Do the Orioles exercise it, decline it and negotiate a new contract, or let him go? The assumption here is that Pérez will stay with the club; the only question is how this will be accomplished.
What to do with John Means
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With that in mind, here are a few of the many money-based decisions that are pending.
The Orioles have a roadmap. They created it.
Means was eligible for arbitration when the Orioles signed him to a two-year, $5.925 million agreement on May 21, 2022. The hearing date was nearing, with Means suing for $3.1 million and the Orioles for $2.7 million. He was a month out from Tommy John surgery.
Means would not be able to throw again until September 12, 2023, so the Orioles covered both that season and 2024. Unfortunately, he re-injured his elbow and underwent a second treatment on June 3.
With that in mind, here are a few of the many money-based decisions that are pending.
He’s passed arbitration and is now available for free agency, and he’s made it obvious that he intends to try again.
“I’m going to take it day-by-day and try to do the best I can to get it back and get it right this time,” Means stated on June 15, 2018. “I still want to pitch, and I’d rather fail on the field than give up. I believe that if I go out there, I can still pitch, and I am very confident in my skills.”
Elias wasn’t going to close any doors in May, but he couldn’t offer any promises. Unless Means joins another organization, the Orioles will be liable for his rehabilitation.
“I’m sure we’ll be dialoguing with him as we get him back up on his feet medically,” Elias stated in response. “He’ll make it back. He’s a large, strong man. And once he gets this elbow injury completely behind him, which hasn’t happened yet, it appears that, looking back a year, he has a lot of really strong pitching ahead of him.”
There might not be another team that values Means as much as the Orioles, what he offers on the mound when healthy and inside the clubhouse. There’s a strong bond, and they could double down on their commitment to him.
What to do with Jorge Mateo
Last year, the Orioles awarded contracts to all 17 of their arbitration-eligible players, defying nearly every published projection. I definitely chose the “under.”
Mateo appeared to be on the non-tender bubble, but signed for $2.7 million to avoid a hearing. He batted.256 with a.736 OPS before May and endured another slump. The quickness and defense were complimented as usual, but he stopped hitting and suffered a significant elbow injury on July 23 in Miami, necessitating an ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction with internal bracing and flexor repair.
Elias said Mateo, Félix Bautista and Grayson Rodriguez should be “more or less full-go at spring training,” but he noted how their situations can evolve. No one is saying that Mateo will be in Sarasota. He could be ready for the Orioles or another team.
MLBTradeRumors.com estimates Mateo’s salary at $3.2 million. Is it too much for a player who has hit.227/.273/.375 in 366 games with the Orioles, but has also stolen 85 bases, and does not have a starting position, forcing him to compete for at-bats as a utility player? Jackson Holliday will try to secure a regular spot at second base, with Jordan Westburg at third. Ramón Urías is also eligible for arbitration, but he plays anywhere and has produced far more at the plate.
