The Orioles haven’t gone to arbitration with their players often in recent years, with just two hearings over the past five offseasons, but that figures to change this year.
The team is now employing a “file-and-trial” approach with all of its arbitration-eligible players, meaning they will only negotiate with those players up until Friday’s 1 p.m. deadline for exchanging salary figures. If a deal isn’t reached by then, players will go to an arbitration hearing.
The Orioles have used the approach on an individual basis before. Two years ago, outfielder Alejandro De Aza was a “file-and-trial” player, but this is the first time the Orioles have gone that route with all of their arbitration-eligible players, according to multiple industry sources.