Wieters leaving contract talks to agent, O's

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles would like to avoid a contentious arbitration hearing with Matt Wieters, although the catcher said Saturday at the team's annual FanFest that he's staying out of it.

"That's what I have agents for," Wieters said of the potential to settle before the arbitration hearing on a 2014 salary, telling reporters that his focus is on baseball.

Wieters is represented by Scott Boras, a notoriously tough negotiator, and the two sides have had extension talks before that have gotten nowhere. O's executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said Saturday that the team is focused just on a one-year deal with Wieters, meaning extension talks are not going on right now, and he reiterated that the team hopes to reach an agreement before an independent arbitrator makes the call. Wieters filed at $8.75 million, while the O's countered with $6.5 million.

Wieters is the club's only remaining arbitration-eligible player, and he will be a free agent after the 2015 season.