Baltimore Orioles Could Be Facing Large Arbitration Bill

The postseason is over and now the Baltimore Orioles might have offseason plans in the back of their heads.

Oct 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins (31) hits a double against the Kansas City Royals in game one of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles faced the Kansas City Royals in the American League Wild card. That is where their focus was. Now, there are certain things that the front office has to constantly be looking ahead at, and arbitration is one of them. Especially considering the Orioles could be looking at a lot of arbitration hearings.

Major League Baseball's arbitration is defined as such:

"Players who have three or more years of Major League service but less than six years of Major League service become eligible for salary arbitration if they do not already have a contract for the next season. Players who have less than three but more than two years of service time can also become arbitration eligible if they meet certain criteria; these are known as "Super Two" players," according to MLB.com.

Thus, the players side and the team negotiate a contract based on players similar to that player. If the sides cannot agree on a number, they go to a hearing.

After the season concludes for the Orioles, they will have 15 players up for arbitration, according to MLB Trade Rumors, who also have projections.

Among those players are Adley Rutchsman, Cedric Mullins, Ryan Mountcastle, Gregory Soto and Kyle Bradish.

According to the projections, Mullins will command the most money at $8.7 million. The outfielder has been one of the most consistent Orioles hitters since 2021, including a 30-30 season. A veteran that is a five tool player, who has yet to reach free agency, will likely get the arbitration number he is looking for.

As for the others, Soto is entering his third year of arbitration and is projected $5.6 million. A trade deadline acquistion, Soto has struggled in his 23 games with Baltimore, posting a 5.09 ERA and may not get the number he is looking for.

As for Rutschman, he is the team's everyday catcher and although he took a step back in 2024, his projection is $5.8 million and he is almost guaranteed to get that. A former top pick, who as a catcher posted a 107 OPS+, is one of the most valuable players in the league.

Those are just a few of the players up for arbitration, but it will be a priority of the Orioles to get these contracts sorted out. Now that the postseason run is over, Mike Elias has to shift his focus.