The Orioles have agreed to a one-year, $7.7MM deal to avoid arbitration with catcher Matt Wieters, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). The deal also includes award incentives, Heyman notes.
Wieters was one of the highest-profile arbitration cases remaining. He lands $200K short of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz's projection, but will earn just above the mid-point of the sides' filing figures ($8.75MM vs. $6.5MM). Of course, the one-year arrangement does not extend the club's control over its top backstop. With extension talks reportedly stuck in neutral, Wieters remains on track to hit free agency following the 2015 season.
NYBravosFan10
Are the orioles ever going to lock this guy up long-term?
Manny Being Manny
Hopefully not. With Boras, he’ll probably command like 6 years, 100-110 mil and thats far too much for him.
NYBravosFan10
Yeah ur prolly right. Boras is gonna want Posey money but Wieters is more of a montero-money type of guy
ba9oriole
He’s a Scott Boras client and it appears that Matt Wieters wants to test the free agency waters.
OhthePossibilities
Hopefully not. There’s a lot of wear on those tires.
FOmeOLS
He’ll be playin’ fer tha Yanks, just like Buck predicted.
I just hope he’s traded before he hits FA, hopefully to the Marlins or some other den of misery.
OhthePossibilities
Only is they want to turn Brian McCann into a crazy expensive DH.
Manny Being Manny
If the Orioles are smart at all, he’ll be traded at the deadline this year if we’re out of it or in the offseason. We can’t let him walk for nothing
Andrew Ochs
The Orioles aren’t smart, that’s the problem
Lefty_Orioles_Fan
Well, the way I look at it, Matt Wieters is an Oriole for the next two seasons.
Showalter, Duquette, and Angelos can use this time wisely and sign some players to push for the playoffs and then the World Series or they can sit around and talk about who is going to win the Kentucky Derby.