The Pirates won their arbitration hearing against right-hander Johan Oviedo, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. He’ll be paid the $850K figure submitted by the team for the upcoming season, rather than the $1.15MM figure he and his camp submitted.
Oviedo, 27 in March, missed the entire 2024 season following Tommy John surgery. Prior to that injury, he’d stepped up and solidified himself as a viable fourth starter in Pittsburgh’s rotation. The right-hander, acquired from the division-rival Cardinals in the trade sending Jose Quintana and Chris Stratton to St. Louis, posted a 4.15 ERA in 39 starts from 2022-23, totaling 208 1/3 innings. That included a 2023 campaign in which he tied Mitch Keller for the team lead with 32 starts and finished second (also to Keller) with 177 2/3 innings pitched.
The composition of the Pirates’ rotation has changed greatly since Oviedo went under the knife. Ballyhooed prospects Paul Skenes and Jared Jones have made their big league debuts and cemented themselves in the team’s plans — Skenes in particular. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick burst onto the scene with 133 innings of 1.96 ERA ball last year, winning National League Rookie of the Year honors and finishing the season as a Cy Young finalist. Skenes, Jones and Keller now make up an enviable top three and are joined by southpaw Bailey Falter, who had something of a breakout himself last year (142 1/3 innings, 4.43 ERA).
Oviedo will head into the 2025 season as a favorite for the fifth spot in the rotation, but he may have to earn that with a healthy and effective spring showing, as he still has a minor league option remaining. The Bucs are deep in starting pitching talent, with prospects Mike Burrows and Braxton Ashcraft already on the 40-man roster and a pair of even more highly regarded arms — Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington — not on the 40-man but ticketed for Triple-A work to begin the season.
This was Oviedo’s first trip through the arbitration process. His camp surely sought a seven-figure payday based on the solid nature of his work pre-injury, but they faced a notable roadblock in that endeavor after Oviedo’s injury cost him the entirety of his platform season. He’ll remain under team control via arbitration through the 2027 campaign.
DEFEAT
VICTORY according to Nutting2728
DAAAAAAAAA …. pirates! Win!!!!
The most Pirates thing ever, taking a guy to arbitration over $300k. Hang up the banner.
“2025, beat player in arbitration over inconsequential amount!”
It’s a lot more than $300k though tbf.
Not only does this put Oviedo at a higher starting point next time they’re back at the table, arbitration is entirely built on comparing to other players.
It’s nearly impossible to get a good idea of how much this saves the pirates, and all teams, but it’s a big number that gets bigger the more data points are added.
And now you have me defending the pirates, thanks.
Yeah, there are several teams that are similar to the difference in numbers. 5 of the 17 are the same or smaller numbers separating the sides 5 more were only between 3-500000 in differing amounts. At least the Bucs can justify their amount based on the fact that Oviedo was out all year with TJ surgery
Take what you can and give nothing back!
That’s stupid. He didn’t play!
In all fairness, he didn’t pitch last year and didn’t deserve a raise
If the average person was unable to work for an entire year, he wouldn’t deserve more money either
Who are you to claim the worth of another man?
“Claim the worth of another man”…Get off your high horse, phony. Millions of sports fans judge and “claim the worth” of male & female athletes all 7 days of the week.
Are you seriously suggesting you’ve never commented on an athlete’s salary before? If you say you’ve never done this, I’ll add “liar” to the list of things I’ve said about you.
Sir. Please. Be reasonable.
MLB fan – having trouble detecting sarcasm? Sounds like you have a high horse too. Both of you say you’re sorry & wont get any more horses high.
Nobody’s valuing the worth of a person, they’re valuing the worth of the contributions that person has made.
There is a difference.
Herein, the individual contributed *zero* while drawing pay and costing money in terms of medical treatment and rehab services.
The average person isn’t a major league pitcher.
where in my comment did I say that average people are equal to baseball players?
You should change your name again
How can you NOT PLAY all year and ask for a $300,000 raise?
@ bupp
Stop rooting against the financial improvement of your fellow man.
“Fellow man”…Professional athletes make up considerably less than 1% of the total world population. Athletes are hardly our “fellow man” since most of us don’t make the millions they do.
Next time you use your “fellow man” comment let it be about cleaning up America’s violent, crime and drug ridden inner cities. Average people are our “fellow man”, not celebrity millionaire athletes.
You wanna hurt me? Go right ahead if it makes you feel any better. I’m an easy target. Yeah, you’re right. I talk too much. I also listen too much. I could be a cold-hearted cynic like you, but I don’t like to hurt people’s feelings. Well, you think what you want about me. I’m not changing. I like me. My wife likes me. My customers like me. ‘Cause I’m the real article. What you see is what you get.
The only reason more violent crime occurs in cities is due to the higher number of people. When you account for population density the per capita rate if crime is higher in rural areas.
@tom b, “Stop rooting against the financial improvement of your fellow man.” Cute comment, but the same logic can be used to justify Nutting keeping the extra $300, it’s improving the financial improvement of your fellow man. I don’t identify with the financial interests of either Oviedo or Nutting, both, in my view, are overpaid.
Don’t always agree with TheMan, but I do here. The guy didn’t pitch last year, didn’t contribute, why does he deserve more?
MLB ballplayers aren’t the average person playing by the same rules of the real world. Rehab is also work. The MLB system allows one to ask for a raise so why wouldn’t one take advantage of that as there is no downside. The Pirates aren’t going to cut him because he asked for a raise.
Nice to see Bob Nutting’s wallet come out on top.
It usually does
Sweet. Pirates are 1-0.
I’m just happy that Bob Nutting gets to pocket more money! Adam Frazier and the last RP they signed made us worse.
Does any fan think Frazier is a need or needle mover. Bob could have just kept that $ and no one would have cared. It’s all about outfielder right now. Off season comes down to that.
I was hoping he signed Frazier so he could dump IKF. Now that’s a Nutting move.
I have been saying for some time ,other blogs, this is where BC is heading
It’s not like other owners haven’t won in arbitration cases
First win of 163 this season!
2nd biggest win next do dumping salary at trade deadline.
A+ arbitration win
Call up Grichuk. We got a new offer that’s 300k more!
A victory for the Pirates. Great job!
RIGHTFIELDER please, give me something to be excited about for a little while anyway !
Ward, Sanchez, Grichuk my top 3 but the owner may not agree
Laughing stock team
The team collectively isn’t a laughing stock it’s the owner and his henchmen
You would have had a happier player if you had paid the small amount of extra funds. Now you saved a little money but at what cost.
Not well said-If Oviedo is not happy and it adversely affects his outlook and he pitches poorly because of it then he will be very happy with $815,000 next year.
He got paid this year the full salary and did not provide any plus to the Pirates.It was not his fault,but any raise at all is not justified.
See other rationale in above posts.
This is a business and he is supposed to be a professional and they do not whine about business decisions.
They pitched him into the ground by going with essentially a two-man rotation at the end of 2023. Had never pitched a full season, yet they were still running him out there at the end of September. They had been out of a wildcard slot for weeks.. His arm falls off, he gets surgery and Bob Nutless and company fight him over 300K. No way there’s a crappier, more poorly run organization in pro sports, top to bottom.