January 23: Perez will make $1.2MM in 2024, per Robert Murray of FanSided. The 2025 option comes with a base salary of $2.2MM can be increased by various escalators. It goes up by $25K for 55, 60, 65 and 70 innings pitched, $50K for 20 and 25 games finished, $100K for 30 and 35 games finished, $150K for 40 and 45 games finished, as well as $200K for 50 games finished.
January 22: The Orioles announced Monday that they’ve avoided arbitration with left-handed reliever Cionel Perez. The Octagon client agreed to a one-year deal with a club option for the 2025 season. Since Perez is under team control for three more years, he’d remain an Oriole (and be arbitration-eligible once again) even if the team declines the 2025 option. Perez had filed at a $1.4MM salary, with the team countering at $1.1MM. Today’s agreement will be somewhere between those two sums and will avoid a potentially contentious hearing.
Like most clubs throughout the sport, Baltimore has taken a “file-and-trial” approach to arbitration in recent years. That is to say, once the team and player have exchanged numbers and filed those respective figures with the league, talks on a straight one-year deal are cut off. However, multi-year deals and one-year pacts that contain options are still on the table for discussion.
To many, it seems an odd line to draw on the surface. But one-year deals containing club or mutual options are not considered “one-year” contracts in arbitration — at least not in the sense that they’re considered relevant data points in future arbitration cases. Because of that, even file-and-trial clubs will generally discuss them, considering those deals more akin to multi-year pacts that don’t have long-term ramifications in a process where salaries are determined based overwhelmingly on prior, comparable one-year agreements.
Perez, 27, has had a breakout showing in Baltimore over the past two seasons after being plucked off waivers from the Reds in November 2021. The southpaw has made 131 appearances for the O’s and turned in a terrific 2.43 earned run average in 111 innings, picking up four saves and 35 holds along the way. Perez took a step back in ’23, as his ERA spiked from 1.40 to 3.54 while his strikeout and walk rates both trended in the wrong direction (23.5% and 9%, respectively, in 2022; 17.8% and 10.9% in 2023). Even with those red flags, Perez’s fastball velocity held at nearly 97 mph on average, he remained one of the toughest pitchers to take out of the ballpark (0.32 HR/9), and his 60.9% ground-ball rate was elite.
Perez will likely join fellow lefties Danny Coulombe and DL Hall in what should once again be a very strong Baltimore bullpen. There’s no compensating for the loss of All-Star closer Felix Bautista, who had Tommy John surgery in October, but the team’s hope is that by signing Craig Kimbrel to join Perez, Coulombe, Hall, All-Star setup man Yennier Cano and potentially right-hander Tyler Wells (if he’s not back in the rotation), the bullpen will again be quite formidable.
With Perez’s case now settled, the Orioles still have four players whose arbitration status remains up in the air. The O’s also exchanged figures with outfielder Austin Hays ($6.35MM vs. $5.85MM), first baseman/designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn ($3.8MM vs. $3.2MM), Coulombe ($2.4MM vs. $2.2MM) and righty Jacob Webb ($1MM vs. $925K).
Good for you, Colonial.
Close
Most underrated stadium in sports and a shame that the money grubbing “baseball” commissioner hasn’t allowed another all star game there out of pettiness, even though it’s way overdue.
You obviously have insider connections to both the baseball commissioner and Baltimore team officials. Why don’t you illuminate the rest of us why Baltimore is being denied Ann All
Star game?
Because the money grubbing (‘shocker’) commissioner is mad about the nationals tv situation even though the ORIOLES only allowed the Expos to move to dc out of charity to begin with.
This is common knowledge. It’s been a well discussed point for 10+ years. You tried to call the poster out but instead did yourself in. Kinda jumped right in into that better to say nothing than open your mouth and prove you’re an idiot hole…
“File and trial” shows up again in a MLBTR post on arbitration. We can all take another drink.
What’s really funny is that the phrase now even infects stories about pre-trial settlements of arb disputes. So even when they don’t file and trial, we hear about file and trial. Just shows the power of trite rhymes.
I dont see it anywhere in the article.
It’s in there. You can ask anyone. Rome, Verducci, Stark etc.
First sentence, second paragraph. Third sentence, third paragraph. At least they only used the phrase twice this time. Maybe we’re making progress (wink).
I really don’t know why MLBTR got hung up on the phrase. At the very start, I guess, it was to make the clubs look unreasonable in cutting off negotiations after filing figures. But after a while the trite rhyme took on a life of its own.
While in Houston he showed flashes of brilliance, but was also unfortunately inconsistent. Would be great to see him put it all together.
Cionel Perez’s first 1/2 of 2023 was not good at all. He pitched more like 2022 during the second 1/2. His power arm from the left side will definitely be a weapon for the Orioles.
I love Cionel! He was one of the first of the “pulled from nowhere” group that was Bautista, Cano, and Webb where the new Os group showed their acumen at developing pitchers. Love me some Felix Bautista, but Cionel gets overlooked in that group. Power lefties, with K rates, and ground ball rates like his are rare.
Plus…his hair style took a big step last year too.
I think Tyler Wells and Jorge Lopez were before Cionel Perez. Paul Fry may have had help with sticky stuff like many in the MLB.
Yeah, you’re right. Love Wells too–its so refreshing to watch a pitcher throw too many (??!?) strikes. Better then the Ubaldo and Aretta type SP of the past when it was 6 pitch walks every inning.
I’m not ready to say Jacob Webb is legit. He looked great til he didn’t. too hittable down the stretch & October.
Orioles FO keeping “Webbie” around because of spin rate angle? He’s gotta an off speed pitch that’s at an elite level
Agreed, his first half/second half splits are undeniable…better in virtually every category you could think of.
I also think it’s telling that he continued to get plenty of opportunities to get back on track and then pitched in important spots once he did. The O’s know when he’s on…he’s really on.
Good for him. I was worried because they guy was 178% better than league average in 2022 and 17% better than league average last year and still wasn’t getting paid.
This is completely wrong of me to say, and I’m ready to accept my criticism lol. There is a part of me that hopes the Orioles finish the year 81-81 and out of the playoffs. Yep – I said it. They haven’t really done anything wrong, they just annoy me.
They lost and lost and lost, and used those high draft picks to pick they exact player everyone else would have picked, and now they are good because of it. Yay. Rodriguez, Kjerstad, Cowser, Holliday, Bradford. Yeah – everyone would have taken those guys. Henderson 2nd round. A bunch of other guys they got through international signings. Now they are hoarding these picks because they think they can play 3 2nd basemen and 2 SSs. Losers. At least we can all appreciate the development that the Rays do to stay relevant for all these years.
Okay – so, full disclosure, I’m mostly upset because I want the Sox to trade Cease to the Os to get a bunch of these great young players, but that’s beside the point! ;0)
What everyone forgets is that the O’s entire organization was a shambles when Elias took over. Utterly decimated farm system, the Davis albatross, NO international presence and NO state of the art analytics department. It’s foolish to say they tanked. They didn’t. They re-allocated their resources elsewhere, told their fanbase EXACTLY what they were doing and that it wouldn’t be pretty. Orioles fans are patient. At least I am because I took our GM at his word and he’s not let me down since. It helps to open the new year with a brand new baseball academy in the DR! To all the folks who wanna yelp about tanking, if you had a faltering product in a bull market would you continue to push out the same product or innovate? The O’s have done it smart and within the constraints of the former CBA.
I agree with everything you said, and I remember when Elias was hired… and how awful their analytics were. I still want them to lose early in the year at least so they trade Mayo, Cowser and Kjerstad to the Sox for Cease. Then I hope they go on a run and win the East. 🙂
If they lose, why would they trade their young players? Does anyone really think that Cease can net the White Sox Kjerstad, Mayo and Cowser? Cease is a good pitcher yet have some extreme short comings. An “Ace pitcher” should provide at least 6 innings per start. This is the exact same reason why some teams are hesitant to sign Snell at his asking price.
I get ya Big Hurt. Gotta be hurtin’ to be a ChiSox fan these days.
@baked, didn’t The Big Hurt peddle some kind of pill or drink that boosted your testosterone? Maybe JR sound sell it from the concession stands to help the fans endure the brutal upcoming season.
Depending on which version of the (in)famous Pythagorean formula you use, the Orioles were on the lucky side in 2023 based on runs scored and allowed. Not wildly lucky by any means. They would still have racked up 94-95 wins. But they would have finished behind the Rays, who were very slightly unlucky.
So it wouldn’t be amazing if Baltimore regressed a little in 2024. Not all the way to .500 but down into the ninety-win range somewhere. Of course, the Orioles still have lots of position player talent waiting in the wings. What if Holliday comes up and blows away the league?
But they don’t use Pythag to crown champions. Also, I’d love to see the Pythag for the second half of the season – the more current results for the team – used to try to claim which teams were “really” the best and which teams were lucky. Bet that the worn out trope of the Orioles being so lucky last year would be shown untrue by the runs scored/allowed in the second half of the season and that their Pythag would be better than Tampa’s.
A lot of why the Orioles are good is because during those losing years they let players develope from the previous regime, and salvage players who fell through cracks. Look at the outfield. All 3 of them have been together for 4+ years. A lot of these guys won’t pan out. I also hope they trade a few guys, but not overpay. Don’t want to be know as a sucker.
There’s a great mix of homegrown vets, underachieving upside waiver guys that got a shot with BAL and a whole crop of stud prospects. It’s a fine mix Elias has concocted. And the funny thing about the trade and FA market – I’m not sure BAL really needs all that much. All those clamoring for a big trade where BAL overpays or a lavish expenditure in FA may fail to realize that we have seven legit rotation contenders and a lineup that’s gonna pop off. Despite all that I’d go a little hog wild to pick up Burnes or especially Luzardo.
Whether through the draft, via trade or by Rule 5 pick: Bautista, Mullins, Hays, Santander, Rodriguez, Hall, Kramer, and Tate all were inherited by Elias from previous FO.
Doesn’t matter, Bautista never progressed until Elias took over.
It does matter. If previous FO, doesn’t recognize the Bautista upside, Elias and crew can’t sprinkle their magic ferry dust on him. Ditto Santander, Mullins and the others. Kudos to Elias for putting ego aside and seeing the value in these players that Duquette and Showalter also saw value in.
Elias is not giving up the farm for the likes of Cease.
So you’d rather teams buy championships with overpaid free agents? Problem is small market teams can’t do what the Dodgers and Rangers do. The system dictates that these teams are left with having to tear it down and rebuild.
Also like so many others you forget that from 2012 to 2016 no team won more total games than the Os. Then they couldn’t keep those guys and had to start over.
You come up with a plan for balanced completion and teams like the Os will sign up.
So you are taking the trade process personally and your feelings are hurt because the Sox have yet to land a haul of top prospects. And since that has not happened yet, you hope a team fails. Makes no sense to me. I’ve never hated a team or wished failure for them because of something that did’t happen.
Lighten up bro – it was tongue in cheek, as noted by the lol and smileys ;0)
Ah, OK. The reason I didn’t get the sarcasm was that I have read many other WS fans wish ill-will on the Orioles, Elias, even individual Orioles players because a trade has not happened. It is a bit hard to overlook all the words, after all. Sorry I didn’t understand that you were not really saying what they were expressing.
All the best, Hurt.
All good, and back atcha. I do admire what they are building and am just a tiny bit jealous too lol.
last year there was the poster that couldn’t get over the fact that the O’s should trade the farm to St Louis for Goldschmidt and took it personally that O’s fans were falling over themselves in agreement.
it’s hard not to take fandom personally as we all use terms like “we” when we talk about our beloved teams. I’m trying to watch that myself and realize that none of my armchair GM’ing will make Elias (and esp not John Angelos) reason like I do.
as crazy as it seems, I suppose that’s the reason the idea of public ownership of a ball club does sound pretty appealing. I know it’s nuts though.
@BigHurt, I did pick up on the lols. I doubt that you have voodoo dolls of the Orioles and are actively sticking pins in the Bradish doll.
I remember that Cardinals fan.
Praise God!!!
Cano ranked #2 and Perez #5 were both top 5 international signing 6-7 years back.
Cardinals weren’t in dismantle mode. They just wanted to remake their staff as last year was a blip and homely not a trend.
You left out Tate in your rundown of bull pen staff. Set up man stud in 22, IL in 23. Welcome back Dillon!
Cionel had a crap start to the season, but finished VERY strong. ERA is inflated due to the beginning obviously.
Dumb move?!? Dumb comment. Cionel is better than the entire Cards bullpen.
I wouldn’t trade Helsley for Cionel.
You can’t believe that agreeing to terms with Cionel was a “dumb move” like blackpink asserts, tight?
I only said the he’s not better than the entire Cardinals bullpen. Why would you attribute anyone else’s posts to my thoughts?
When Perez came up, he walked the ballpark and a couple of vendors outside.
Good for him for figuring it out enough to stick.
Everybody Loves Cionel!
If they didn’t win last year, they’re definitely not winning this year. Teams in the east have gotten better while they stood the same. They had a huge opportunity last year and completely blew it
HAHA. NO.
baked – want to provide backup why you disagree?
The Orioles were a 90 win team on paper with a tremendous record in 1 run and extra inning games. Especially in extras, its nearly a coin flip and these outliers tend to regress to the mean. So the Orioles, with the same or even a bit better quality team could win 90 in 2024 and people will freak out.
How to maximize the chances of winning in 2024? Fill the holes, namely starting pitching needs a top half of the rotation guy. Cease is probably the best candidate but right now I tire of the staring contest between the ChiSox who want everything for him and the O’s who want him for nothing. They can’t go into the season hoping that Means is back for a full load AND Kremer develops AND they can conjure a good 5th guy out of Wells, Hall, etc. (to save a comment, Wells the soft tosser screams JEFF BALLARD at me as soon as the league takes a little time to figure him out – he already has a high hard-hit %).
If any gaps in the bullpen I’m sure they’ll find cheap, effective relievers. They always do. They have Holliday, Westburg, and Ortiz – 3 reasons why they don’t need Mateo to not hit again (Urias UIF). They have Kjerstad, Cowser, and Stowers for the OF and DH slots added to Santander, Mullins, Hays…they all can’t play at one time and they don’t add value sitting on the bench.
Yes, the Red Sox and Yankees made moves to address shortcomings. Not so sure about Tampa and Toronto. I think Tampa will be hard pressed to approach 100 wins again just like the Orioles. The Orioles have way more prospects than can possibly play. Trade some now while market is high and fill in the gaps.
The Orioles’ mindset is “we are satisfied with ‘good enough’ and hope to get lucky.” That is disappointing. It should be “we have a solid young core, we have some veteran additions, and we will do what we need to in order to compete for the WS every year.”
Thornton has such an idiotic hard on against the Orioles. On no planet were the Orioles a “90 win on paper,” whatever that may be. They play the games in the real world where the team won 101 and that’s all that matters. And if you look at the second half – when they got strong – they probably out-performed their record and pyathagged at a 100+ win clip. And this fool incessantly trashes the current team based on what happened during the 2000s … which is no more valid than praising the team for what happened during 1970s. And he is so emotionally hurt being called out on his foolish, indefensible claims that he has had to block me from replying to his TL;DR missives.
I’m thinking regression. Instead of bringing in vets for 1 yr like a Frazier, Hicks and Gibson to help stay competitive, FO let’s the prospects sink or swim.
On the offensive side, if they start slow like Gunnar did last year (or didn’t fire at all like a Cowser or Stowers), keep playing them.
From the mound, IMO, looks like the Os have an innings eater in house in Kremer. No need to sign a Gibson or Lyles type. And here’s hoping Seth Johnson can be this year’s version of the 2022 Wells in bullpen freeing up Wells to be in rotation.
Jeff – I totally agree on stopgaps. Don’t need a Frazier blocking the prospects this year. Hicks was a pleasant surprise but not a need on this team.
They can do better than Gibson. A top half of the rotation guy. If Means is a 4 and Kremer a 5 that’s a decent rotation. (I still think Wells is today’s Jeff Ballard). If someone wants a Hays and one of the upper level prospects that trade is a net add for the Orioles who have guys waiting in line.
Most of the group of Kjerstad, Cowser, Stowers, Westburg, Holliday, etc. have nothing else to prove in the minors, so they are not helping the MLB club or advancing their own skills by spending more time in AAA. They let Gunnar sink or swim and after a slow first month basically he put up Ripken’s rookie year #’s.
I would love to see the Orioles add a starter. Still I think they could make it work without it. My worry is more the bullpen. Felix was the teams ace. Let’s say Kimball is effective he still won’t have the presence that Bautista had.