the Orioles Increased their salaries by $18.2 million on Friday while avoiding arbitration with five key players on the 2023 roster.
According to multiple sources, the Orioles have agreed to one-year deals with the Anthony Santander ($7.4 million plus incentives), Cedric Mullins ($4.1 million plus incentives), Austin Hayes ($3.2 million plus incentives), Jorge Mateo ($2 million plus incentives) f Dillon Tate ($1.5 million plus incentives).
The only Orioles eligible for arbitration not to agree to terms by Friday’s deadline is a right-handed pitcher Austin Foth, who is now exchanging refereeing numbers with the club and preparing for a hearing before a three-person panel sometime during spring training. The independent panel will hear arguments from both sides and choose one of the characters as Voth’s salary for 2023.
Austin Foth. (Scott Tych / USA Today)
It is possible for the Orioles and Fauth to reach a settlement before the case goes to hearing, but general manager Mike Elias prefers the “file and court” philosophy if no agreement is reached by the filing deadline. He has made exceptions in the past, and has agreed after the filing deadline with Trey Mancini And John Means in 2022, though he went into hearing with Santander in 2021. It’s the only time in Elias’ tenure that the Orioles haven’t settled all of their ARB-eligible players.
Friday’s increase, according to listing resource FanGraphs, puts the Orioles’ estimated 2023 payroll at about $65 million and the luxury tax payroll estimated at $85.2 million, far from the $223 million threshold for the luxury tax.
Here’s a look at the six players involved in Friday’s decisions:
Anthony Santander
The 28-year-old is the only one from this group who has been earning more than $1 million en route to this year’s operation. This is his third chance to referee — he has Super Two status, or an additional year, in 2021 — and his salary has jumped from $3.15 million to $7.4 million. Given his 2022 production — 33 of his teammates led all batters — and his relative youth, the increase was in line with expectations (MLB The trade is rumored to be worth an estimated $7.5 million). Santander is now the fourth-highest-paid Oriole on the active roster, behind the newcomers James McCannAnd Kyle Gibson And Adam Frazieralthough most of McCann’s 2023 and 2024 salaries will be paid by her New York Mets. As part of his contract, Santander will receive a $150,000 bonus if he makes the 2023 All-Star Team or wins a Gold or Silver Slugger Glove.
Cedric Mullins
The most popular question received across social media on Friday was why Mullins’ salary for 2023 is so low, especially compared to Santander. This is because this is how refereeing works in Major League Baseball. Mullins, 28, actually received the biggest raise of the five, but hit just above the bottom line in 2022, his final season of less than three years on the job. Particularly noteworthy is his salary increase, from $716,500 to $4.1 million, given that Mullins was demoted to Double A in 2019 and has worked his way up again, becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the game and hitting the milestone of getting access to refereeing. The contract also includes bonuses of $50,000 for an All-Star appearance, winning a Silver Slugger or Gold Glove; Mullins was a Gold Glove Finalist in 2022 and an All-Star in 2021.
Austin Hayes
Another player eligible for arbitration for the first time, Hays’ salary jumped from $713,000 to $3.2 million with Friday’s settlement. That’s $100,000 more than what MLB Trade Rumors estimated the 27-year-old. Hayes struggled through much of the second half in 2022, but entered the season as the club’s starting left player. His contract also includes $50,000 bonuses for an All-Star, Gold Glove, or Silver Slugger appearance. The starting Orioles team will now bring in a total of $14.7 million; In comparison with, New York‘s Aaron Judge It will make $40 million in 2023.
Jorge Mateo
Perhaps the best story of an Orioles concession under Elias, Mateo has been conceded before San Diego Padres In August 2021. This winter, his first as an arbitration-eligible, Mateo’s salary jumped from $709,500 to $2 million. In his first full season as a starter, Mateo, 27, had a 0.646 OPS, but led the American League with 35 stolen bases and won a Fielding Bible Award for MLB shortstops. He has a $50,000 bonus for his All-Star appearance, Silver Slugger, or, more likely, a Gold Glove. He wasn’t a Gold Glove finalist in 2022, but maybe he should have been.
Dillon Tate
The last Orioles player to be eligible to officiate for the first time. Tate posted a career-low 3.05 ERA and a career-high 67 games played to become a significant part of the Orioles in 2022. He also received the club’s Roberto Clemente Award nominee for his work in the community. Tate, 28, doubled his salary from $711,500 to $1.5 million. He can also earn $50,000 in incentives if he makes the All-Star team or wins the Mariano Rivera (AL) or Trevor Hoffman (NL) Reliever of the Year Award. Obviously, Tate would only be eligible for the latter award if he was traded in 2023 to the National League. Inclusion of both is a formality in incentive-laden contracts for diluents.
Austin Foth
Not surprisingly, he’s the only one who hesitates here simply because 2022 hasn’t been normal, which makes the arbitration number somewhat tricky. Voth, 30, had a disastrous 10.13 ERA in 19 relief appearances with Washington Nationals When they gave it up in June. The Orioles claimed that Fauth pitched well for the rest of the year, posting a 3.04 ERA in 22 games (17 starts). He has a career 4.86 ERA in parts of five seasons, so his stint with the Orioles is likely out of his career. But what happened. This, along with his job performance, will be taken into account during the arbitration process. This is Voth’s second year in arbitration, and he’s made $875,000 in 2022. MLB Trade Rumors predicted Voth will earn $2 million this year. Fauth will head into spring training to fight for a rotational spot, and is expected to become a millionaire for the first time in his big-league career.
(Top photo by Anthony Santander: Scott Tych/USA Today)