Orioles agree to terms with Machado, Britton and three others
The Baltimore Orioles have agreed to terms with Manny Machado, Zach Britton, Brad Brach, Caleb Joseph, and Tim Beckham. All the players were eligible for arbitration hearings.
All five players have big roles for the Orioles. Britton and Machado have been part of trade talks. Tim Beckham was a breakout star for the Orioles at short stop after being traded from the Tampa Bay Rays.
Caleb Joseph was the Orioles backup catcher and sees a lot of action. Brad Brach is the Orioles All-Star bullpen arm.
Here is the Orioles press release.
Orioles agree to terms with five players
The Orioles today announced that they have agreed to terms with INF TIM BECKHAM, RHP BRAD BRACH, LHP ZACH BRITTON, C CALEB JOSEPH, and INF MANNY MACHADO on one-year contracts, avoiding arbitration.
Beckham, 27, hit .306/.348/.523 (66-for-216) with 13 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 36 runs scored, and 26 RBI in 50 games with the Orioles. He was named American League Player of the Week for July 31-August 6, his first time winning the award.
Brach, 31, appeared in 67 games last season for the Orioles, going 4-5 with a 3.18 ERA (24 ER/68.0 IP). He led the Orioles in saves with 18, a career-high.
Britton, 30, made 38 appearances in 2017, working to a record of 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA (12 ER/37.1 IP). He set the AL record for consecutive save opportunities converted with his 55th straight on July 23. His streak ended at 60 consecutive, the second-longest streak in MLB history and the longest for a left-handed pitcher.
Joseph, 31, hit .256/.287/.413 (65-for-254) with 14 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 31 runs scored, and 28 RBI in 89 games for the Orioles last year.
Machado, 25, hit .259/.310/.471 (163-for-630) with 33 doubles, one triple, 33 home runs, 81 runs scored, and 95 RBI in 156 games during the 2017 season. He was named AL Player of the Month for August, as well as AL Player of the Week for August 14-20. He hit three grand slams in August, becoming the first in Orioles history and only the 10th player in MLB history to hit three grand slams in one calendar month.
The Orioles have exchanged salary arbitration figures with RHP KEVIN GAUSMAN and INF JONATHAN SCHOOP.
