Baltimore Orioles and Star Slugger Avoid Arbitration With New Contract

The Baltimore Orioles will have one of their best hitters back in the mix after agreeing to a new contract to avoid arbitration.

Coming off an 101-win season with an AL East divisional title, there is a lot of buzz surrounding the Baltimore Orioles entering 2024.

With a slew of young talent, they seem to be built for success for years to come.

But, in order to achieve this in the upcoming season, they still need some of their veteran players to produce at a high level, while their younger pieces continue to develop.

One of the storylines many were monitoring was how much money the Orioles' veteran, slugging outfielder, Anthony Santander, would get during his final year of arbitration.

Coming out of the 2023 season where he was paid $7.4 million, Spotrac projected his upcoming salary to be around $14 million, the most that general manager Mike Elias would have given a player during his tenure.

That started the rumor mill Baltimore might be looking to deal their star outfielder this offseason to avoid paying him that contract.

Well, those concerns have largely been put to bed after Robert Murray of FanSided reported the Orioles and Santander agreed to a 2024 salary that would pay him $11.7 million to avoid arbitration.

The 29-year-old is one of the most important pieces on this roster.

He's a leader in the clubhouse and has become a mentor for the younger players out of Baltimore's farm system that have reached the Majors.

With more prospects set to debut this upcoming season, Santander's role will be that much more important.

But in addition to his leadership role, the slugger has also been an elite offensive player the past two years.

In 2022 and 2023, the veteran outfielder posted an OPS+ of 120 or higher.

He's coming off a year where he played in 153 games and recorded a slash line of .257/.325/.472 with 28 home runs, 95 RBI and a 3.0 bWAR.

Barring being included in a trade package, expect Santander to be in his normal, everyday spot in right field during the 2024 season.