The time has come again: For several Orioles players, they are in line to receive salary increases ahead of Thursday\u2019s arbitration filing deadline.<\/p>\n
Baltimore enters with 11 arbitration-eligible players awaiting contracts. In November, when the Orioles announced whether they intended to tender contracts<\/a> to those players or release them, the only player to be non-tendered was right-hander Albert Su\u00e1rez. But Su\u00e1rez re-signed with the Orioles<\/a> in December on a minor league contract.<\/p>\n One of the major new additions to Baltimore\u2019s arbitration-eligible class of players is shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who hit .274 and stole 30 bases for the first time in his career last year. He considered that a down season, given his .787 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, but Henderson improved his consistency defensively and, at 24, is expected to continue blossoming into a high-level player.<\/p>\n The rest of the class is as follows:<\/p>\n Catcher Adley Rutschman, left-handers Trevor Rogers and Keegan Akin, right-handers Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Yennier Cano, Tyler Wells and Shane Baz, outfielder Taylor Ward and infielder Ryan Mountcastle.<\/p>\n Rogers, Akin, Ward and Mountcastle are in their final years of arbitration eligibility before free agency. Rutschman, Kremer and Wells will remain under team control in 2027, too. And Bradish, Henderson, Cano and Baz are under team control through 2028.<\/p>\n The arbitration filing deadline is a soft deadline of sorts. If teams and players don\u2019t settle on a salary by Thursday, they\u2019ll exchange preferred salary figures and wait about a month before an arbiter chooses one value or the other based on arguments from either side. However, teams and player representatives can still negotiate before an arbitration hearing.<\/p>\n The Orioles generally follow a \u201cfile-and-trial\u201d method, but they\u2019ve broken from that to settle before a hearing if they can add an option year on top of the one-year contract. <\/p>\n The arbitration system allows players with more than three years and less than six years of service time to receive annual salary increases based on performance and experience. <\/p>\n If a team agrees to a contract prior to an arbitration hearing, that contract value is guaranteed. But if the arbitration board settles the case for the player and team, the team could cut the player before opening day and pay a termination fee instead of the full contract value.<\/p>\n Rogers is entering his final year of arbitration eligibility after a stalwart campaign<\/a>. He produced the best season of his career, posting a 1.81 ERA in 109 2\/3 innings. If he can maintain something close to that level of dominance, Rogers will find himself atop Baltimore\u2019s rotation with Bradish.<\/p>\n Bradish\u2019s return from elbow surgery<\/a> midway through the season also went well, although it remains to be seen how tight a leash the Orioles may keep on Bradish this year in order to monitor his long-term health. In 32 innings, Bradish recorded a 2.53 ERA. According to MLB Trade Rumors\u2019 projections<\/a>, Bradish is estimated to earn $2.8 million in 2026; Rogers\u2019 projection is $6 million.<\/p>\n