Orioles clear arbitration slate with Wieters deal
Baltimore reaches one-year agreement with last remaining eligible player
The Orioles and catcher Matt Wieters have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract for 2014, the club announced Thursday.
CBSSports.com first reported that Wieters and the Orioles settled on a $7.7 million salary. Wieters, who had been Baltimore's last remaining arbitration-eligible player, filed for an $8.75 million salary, while the O's countered at $6.5 million.
The Orioles had hoped to avoid a potentially contentious arbitration hearing with the 27-year-old catcher, who made $5.5 million in 2013 and will be a free agent after the 2015 season. O's executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette told reporters Saturday that the club was only focused on a one-year deal with Wieters, which means the two sides were not discussing a long-term extension.
Wieters posted a .235/.287/.417 batting line with 22 homers and 79 RBIs last season, and he has put together a combined .255/.319/.420 line over parts of five seasons in the Majors.