Orioles tender contracts to 11 eligible players

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles tendered contracts to all 11 arbitration-eligible players in advance of Tuesday's 11:59 p.m. ET deadline, a group that includes first baseman Chris Davis and outfielder Alejandro De Aza.

The other nine arbitration-eligibles are Matt Wieters, Steve Pearce, Bud Norris, Tommy Hunter, Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez, Ryan Flaherty and Zach Britton. The group is projected by MLB Trade Rumors to make nearly $57 million in combined salary, a sizable chunk that will account for several prominent raises.

De Aza was tendered before the deadline as the outfielder's value to the O's has only gone up since Nelson Cruz agreed to terms with Seattle on Monday. If the season started now, De Aza would be part of Baltimore's starting outfield. He's projected to make $5.9 million next season by MLBTR.

Video: DET@BAL Gm1: De Aza lines a two-run double to center

The Orioles seem confident Davis, who will serve the last of his 25-game suspension on Opening Day, will have a bounce-back season. An American League All-Star who led the Majors in home runs in 2013, Davis is projected to get a raise from the $10.3 million he earned this past season.

All in all, it should be a relatively quiet evening for Baltimore, which created a firestorm at last year's arbitration deadline when it dealt closer Jim Johnson to Oakland to shed salary. The O's, particularly after missing out on Cruz, have the resources to add payroll -- which executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette has publicly stated several times -- and will also look closely at the non-tenders around baseball for a potential fit.

Players become arbitration-eligible with three years of Major League service time. Super Two players also qualify for arbitration and reach that status by being in the top 22 percent of those players with two to three years of service time.