For the fourth year in a row, the Orioles have among the largest number of arbitration-eligible players in Major League Baseball.
That makes a day like Thursday a busy one for Baltimore’s front office.
MLB teams and arbitration-eligible players have until 8 p.m. to agree to terms for the 2026 season and avoid the first step toward a potential hearing. The Orioles have 11 such players who are due pay raises in 2026, including some of the ballclub’s biggest names who are in line for significant bumps as they progress through the arbitration process.
The biggest name, of course, is Gunnar Henderson, who is entering his first year of arbitration. After making approximately the league minimum (under $800,000) thus far in his career, Henderson signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal for 2026, a source with direct knowledge confirmed to The Baltimore Sun. It marked the largest salary ever by an Orioles player in his first year of arbitration, breaking a record set by catcher Adley Rutschman ($5.5 million) last year and previously held by Manny Machado ($5 million) since 2016.
Rutschman is reportedly set to make $7.25 million in 2026 after he struggled at the plate and with injuries in 2025. Five of the Orioles’ arbitration-eligible players are entering their final year of the process, including first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who a source confirmed has signed a one-year, $6.787 million deal with a $7.5 million team option for 2027 after the club opted to tender him a contract rather than let him go in November. Newcomer Taylor Ward, whom Baltimore acquired from the Angels for Grayson Rodriguez, is set to make the most through arbitration of any Oriole at $12.175 million, according to multiple reports.
On the pitching side, a source confirmed to The Sun that right-hander Dean Kremer signed for one year and $5.75 million. Kremer earned $2.95 million in his first year of arbitration last season and earned a raise after leading the team with 171 2/3 innings in 2025.
FanSided was first to report the salaries for Mountcastle, Rutschman and Ward. The Baltimore Banner was first on Henderson and Kremer.
Other members of the young core, such as Jordan Westburg, Jackson Holliday and Colton Cowser, have not accumulated enough service time to be eligible for arbitration. Eligible players have at least three years of MLB service time but fewer than the six necessary to become a free agent.
Last year, the Orioles spent approximately $47 million on their arbitration-eligible players. In 2026, the MLB Trade Rumors-projected total spent on their 11 such players is $59.4 million. Even with that increase in arbitration spending, combined with the money spent in free agency on slugger Pete Alonso and closer Ryan Helsley, the Orioles’ projected payroll in 2026 ($151.6 million) is lower than it was in 2025 ($164.5 million) with the departures of Charlie Morton, Tomoyuki Sugano, Cedric Mullins, Gary Sánchez and others.
If players and teams are unable to come to an agreement by Thursday evening’s deadline, the sides will exchange proposed salary figures. If the team and player remain at an impasse, a panel of arbitrators will hold a hearing and pick one of the two suggested salary figures. No other contract value can be chosen by the arbitrators. Hearings, which can be a contentious process for teams and players, typically take place in February.
Here’s a look at the deals the Orioles have reached with their arbitration-eligible players:
Agreed to deals
Arb-3 players:
Outfielder Taylor Ward ($12.175 million):
First baseman Ryan Mountcastle ($6.787 million with $7.5 million club option for 2027):
Arb-2 players:
Catcher Adley Rutschman ($7.25 million):
Starting pitcher Dean Kremer ($5.75 million):
Arb-1 players:
Shortstop Gunnar Henderson ($8.5 million):
This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer. Contact Matt Weyrich at mweyrich@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/ByMattWeyrich.
