Good morning, Birdland!
Teams had until 1 p.m. on Friday to come to an agreement with their arbitration-eligible players on a contract for the 2021 season. The Orioles were able to do that with all but one player, Anthony Santander. The two sides will now head to arbitration next month.
This isn’t a huge deal. Santander isn’t going anywhere. However, the arbitration process doesn’t typically do much to improve the relationship between player and organization, so it is not the preferred outcome of these discussions.
Santander was fantastic last year (.261/.315/.575, 138 OPS+), earning the honor of Most Valuable Oriole from the local press and a nomination for a Gold Glove in right field.