ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Pirates and pitcher Jovan Oviedo engaged in the inaugural salary arbitration case of the season on Tuesday.
Oviedo, a right-handed pitcher who will celebrate his 27th birthday on March 2, is seeking an increase from his current salary of $765,000 to $1.15 million. Conversely, the Pirates have proposed a figure of $850,000.
A ruling from the arbitration panel, consisting of Allen Ponak, Robert Herman, and Jasbir Parmar, is anticipated on Wednesday.
In contrast, Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jorge Mateo successfully came to an agreement before a hearing, finalizing a one-year contract worth $3.55 million, which includes a team option valued at $5.5 million for the 2026 season. This option could rise by as much as $500,000 depending on Mateo’s plate appearances in 2025, with rewards of $125,000 each for reaching milestones of 460, 480, 500, and 520 plate appearances.
Mateo initially requested a salary of $4 million, while the Orioles had extended an offer of $3.1 million. In the previous season, he recorded a batting average of .229, hit five home runs, tallied 18 RBIs, and stole 13 bases.
Looking ahead, eleven additional players are slated for arbitration hearings, which are set to conclude on February 14. Notable cases include first baseman Nathaniel Lowe of the Washington Nationals, who seeks $11.1 million compared to the team’s offer of $10.3 million; San Diego right-hander Michael King, who is asking for $8.8 million versus a $7.325 million offer; and catcher William Contreras from Milwaukee, requesting $6.5 million against a $5.6 million proposal.
Other players in arbitration include Brendan Donovan, an outfielder/infielder for St. Louis, seeking $3.3 million against an offer of $2.85 million; the New York Yankees’ right-hander Mark Leiter Jr., asking for $2.5 million compared to $2.05 million; Mickey Moniak, an outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels, seeking a raise to $2 million from $1.5 million; and Luis Rengifo, who plays both first and second base, asking for $5.95 million versus a $5.8 million offer.
Additional cases include right-hander Dennis Santana from Pittsburgh seeking $2.1 million compared to the team’s $1.4 million offer, St. Louis outfielder Lars Nootbaar seeking $2.95 million versus $2.45 million, right-hander Andre Pallante looking for $2.1 million against $1,925,000, and Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Alex Vesia requesting $2.35 million in contrast with $2.05 million.
Last year, players had a record of 9-6 in hearings, which brought the overall tally to 353 wins for teams and 266 for players since arbitration’s inception in 1974. Remarkably, the players achieved a winning record for the first time since finishing at 6-4 in 2019.
