The Orioles have agreed to terms with four of their six arbitration-eligible players, but the two who remain turned in perhaps the club's best performances in 2010.
Designated hitter Luke Scott, who was last year's Most Valuable Oriole, and right-handed starter Jeremy Guthrie, who led the rotation in wins, ERA and innings pitched, filed salary figures Tuesday afternoon, meaning they continue on the path toward an arbitration hearing.
Scott, who made $4.05 million in 2010, is asking for $6.85 million while the Orioles countered with $5.7 million. Guthrie, who made $3 million in 2010, filed for $6.5 million Tuesday while the Orioles offered $5.0 million.
If the sides can't agree on a compromise — Scott's midpoint would be $6.275 million, Guthrie's $5.75 million — the matter would be decided by a three-person arbitration board, likely from Feb. 1 to Feb. 18. The board will choose one of the two numbers submitted.
"The basic agreement [for Major League Baseball] provides us with a mechanism to resolve these cases, and the exchange of salary figures with Luke and Jeremy today is simply part of the process," said Matt Klentak, the club's director of baseball operations. "Our goal is still to reach negotiated agreements with both players."
Guthrie, who is in his second year of arbitration and didn't settle his case last year until the day before spring training, said he was "not disappointed" by Tuesday's developments.
"I didn't have a high expectation that we would settle before the exchange, and nothing dramatic with the other second-year arbitration-eligible pitchers happened to change anything," Guthrie said. "We have time allotted to us now to negotiate and let the process work. And if we can't come to an agreement, we'll put it in the hands of other people and make the best case that we can."
The Orioles avoided arbitration with four other players, including two Tuesday: outfielder Felix Pie, who agreed to a $985,000 deal, up from $420,000 in 2010; and new shortstop J.J. Hardy, who will make $5.85 million in 2011, an increase from $5.1 million he earned with the Minnesota Twins last season.
On Monday, the Orioles agreed to a $975,000 deal with reliever Jim Johnson, who made $440,000 in 2010. The club's first settlement was Sunday night with center fielder Adam Jones, who agreed to a $3.25 million 2011 salary, an increase from $465,000 in 2010.
"The settlements are the product of a lot of hard work from all involved parties, and we appreciate the professionalism shown by the players and their representatives throughout the process," said Klentak, who handles the club's arbitration cases along with general counsel H. Russell Smouse, assistant player development director Tripp Norton and baseball operations assistant Mike Snyder.
It would be atypical for the Orioles to go to a hearing with any of their players. Since Andy MacPhail took over as the club's president of baseball operations in June 2007, the Orioles have settled all their arbitration-eligible cases. Because the hearings are often contentious, MacPhail believes the process can be counterproductive to what the club is trying to achieve on the field.
The Orioles haven't been involved in an arbitration hearing since winning against pitcher Rodrigo Lopez before the 2006 season. When they go that route, however, the Orioles have been exceptionally successful. They are 8-1 in arbitration cases since 1994 and 6-0 when led by Smouse.
This year, however, the club could potentially take on two of its brightest stars from 2010.
Scott, 32, is coming off his best big league season. He hit .284 with 27 homers and 72 RBIs in 131 games. He led the Orioles in home runs (27), slugging percentage (.535) and on-base-plus-slugging (.902) and was second with 72 RBIs despite missing much of July with a hamstring injury.
Guthrie, 31, rebounded from a rough year in 2009 to be the Orioles' most consistent starter in 2010. He made 32 starts, going 11-14 with a 3.83 ERA in a career-high 2091/3 innings. It was the second consecutive season in which he reached the 200-inning mark and third straight year in which he made at least 30 starts.