[Baltimore Sun] Orioles tender contracts to Jorge Mateo, Cedric Mullins, 10 others
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As the young Orioles grow up, so will their salaries.
Friday’s arbitration tender deadline was the first step in that process, and the Orioles elected to bring back all but one of their 13 eligible players.
The Orioles on Friday evening announced they tendered contracts to utilityman Jorge Mateo, catcher Adley Rutschman, outfielder Cedric Mullins and nine others. The only player to whom the ballclub declined to tender a contract was reliever Jacob Webb.
Rutschman is entering his first season of arbitration and is projected by MLB Trade Rumors to garner $5.8 million — an approximately $5 million raise compared with his first three seasons of a league-minimum salary. Mullins, meanwhile, is the most expensive player on the list with a projected salary of $8.7 million, which would amount to a $2.4 million raise.
The Orioles still must come to an agreement with their tendered players on salaries for 2025, or otherwise have it decided in an arbitration hearing. The only player for which that is not the case is Emmanuel Rivera. The corner infielder and the Orioles avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $1 million salary, a source with direct knowledge confirmed to The Baltimore Sun. MLB.com was first to report Rivera’s salary.
For most players, Friday’s deadline was simply a formality, but it’s more consequential for less prominent players, such as Webb, Rivera and Mateo. Webb was a solid reliever for the Orioles and was projected to earn approximately $1.7 million, but the club chose to let him become a free agent after he dealt with an elbow injury to end the 2024 campaign.
Mateo, one of MLB’s fastest players, missed the final half of the season because of a dislocated elbow that required surgery. He is expected to be ready for opening day, but it wasn’t guaranteed he’d be back in 2025 given he’s not expected to be a starter and he’s a career .224 hitter. Still, the Orioles tendered a contract to a favorite of manager Brandon Hyde’s for his speed and versatility.
Rivera joined the Orioles as a waiver claim in August and helped keep the offense afloat as it struggled with injuries. The four-year veteran has a career .676 OPS, but he hit .313 with a .948 OPS in 27 games with the Orioles.
In addition to Mateo, Rutschman and Mullins, Baltimore tendered contracts to the following players: infielders Ryan Mountcastle and Ramón Urías; relievers Gregory Soto and Keegan Akin; and starting pitchers Dean Kremer, Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells.
Around the horn
• Two former Orioles were nontendered by their clubs Friday. Outfielder Austin Hays, whom the Orioles traded to Philadelphia in July for Domínguez, wasn’t tendered a contract by the Phillies entering his final year of arbitration with a projected salary from MLB Trade Rumors of $6.4 million. Reliever Dillon Tate, whom the Orioles designated for assignment in August, was nontendered by the Toronto Blue Jays as he entered his final year of arbitration with a projected salary of $1.9 million. Both players are now free agents.
• Former Orioles outfielder Austin Slater agreed to a one-year contract with the Chicago White Sox worth a reported $1.75 million earlier this week. Slater spent the final two months of the 2024 season in Baltimore after the club acquired him to be a platoon outfielder.
• Former Orioles reliever Matt Krook signed a minor league contract with the Athletics earlier this week. Baltimore acquired Krook in a cash trade with the New York Yankees in February. The left-hander posted a 3.92 ERA for Triple-A Norfolk and appeared in only one game for the Orioles in 2024.
• Former Orioles pitching coach Chris Holt was hired by the Boston Red Sox to be their bullpen coach, the club announced Friday. Holt was an original member of Elias’ pitching development staff in 2019 and rose to become the Orioles’ pitching coach and director of pitching. Baltimore and Holt parted ways earlier this offseason.
• Gunnar Henderson finished fourth in AL Most Valuable Player Award voting behind winner Aaron Judge and finalists Bobby Witt. Jr. and Juan Soto. Henderson put up MVP-worthy numbers (9.1 wins above replacement, .893 OPS, 37 homers) but wasn’t a finalist among a strong class. Shohei Ohtani won the National League MVP Award, joining Orioles legend Frank Robinson as the only players in MLB history to win MVP in both leagues. Robinson did so with the Cincinnati Reds in 1961 and the Orioles in 1966.
• Corbin Burnes finished fifth in American League Cy Young Award voting behind winner Tarik Skubal, finalists Seth Lugo and Emmanuel Clase and fourth-place finisher Cole Ragans. Burnes posted a 2.92 ERA in 194 1/3 innings in his first season in Baltimore. He is a free agent and is expected to receive a contract worth approximately $200 million.
• The Orioles added game times to their 2025 schedule. Monday through Thursday home games will remain at 6:35 p.m. with Friday night contests at 7:05 p.m. Most Saturday games will be at 4:05 p.m., while Sundays will remain at 1:35 p.m.
This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 667-942-3337 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.
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