O's non-tender Janish, Lough and Johnson
The Orioles tendered contracts to nine of their 12 arbitration-eligible players before Wednesday's deadline, choosing to non-tender infielder Paul Janish, outfielder David Lough and right-handed pitcher Steve Johnson. Those three are now free agents.
The O's tendered contracts to infielders Ryan Flaherty, Manny Machado and Mark Trumbo and pitchers Brad Brach, Chris Tillman, Zach Britton, Miguel Gonzalez and Brian Matusz. They also agreed to terms on contracts for 2016 with Nolan Reimold and Vance Worley, avoiding arbitration with both players.
Worley, 28, went 4-6 with a 4.02 ERA in 23 games (eight starts) with Pittsburgh. He was claimed off waivers by the Orioles on Oct. 20. Reimold hit .247/.344/.394 with six home runs and 20 RBIs in 61 games.
The Orioles will try to work out a deal with each tendered player in an attempt to avoid an often contentious arbitration hearing. Many of their arbitration players, such as Machado and Britton, are coming off career years and in line for substantial raises.
Janish, who was designated for assignment earlier Wednesday, hit .286/.278/.371 with three doubles, three RBIs and four runs scored in 14 games for the Orioles last season. Johnson, who was designated for assignment to create a roster spot for Trumbo, posted a 10.13 ERA in six relief outings. The 29-year-old Lough batted .201/.241/.313 with four home runs and 12 RBIs in 84 games.