Orioles, Matt Wieters Avoid Arbitration

The Orioles avoided arbitration with Matt Wieters, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The Scott Boras client obtained a $5.5MM contract for 2013, and topped even the most aggressive of estimates from MLBTR's resident arbitration forecaster, Matt Swartz.

Wieters, 26, easily topped Russell Martin's former first-time catcher arbitration record of $3.9MM, set in 2009.  However, Buster Posey raised the bar well beyond Wieters, reaching $8MM today.  

Wieters remains under team control through 2015 and recently expressed interest in staying with the Orioles long-term.  However, Boras clients rarely surrender free agent years while they're arbitration eligible, unless it's a precedent-setting deal.

Of the Orioles' 11 arbitration eligible players, Jim Johnson, Jason Hammel, and Darren O'Day remain unsigned, according to the club, meaning figures have been exchanged.