Baltimore Orioles: Caleb Joseph loses arbitration case to Orioles

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After the Baltimore Orioles and Caleb Joseph went to an arbitration hearing on Wednesday, the arbitrators voted in the Orioles favor.

Backup catcher Caleb Joseph lost his salary arbitration case against the Baltimore Orioles after he set a record for the most plate appearances without recording an RBI.

Joseph will receive $700,000 rather than his $1 Million request. The Orioles didn’t believe Joseph’s performance during the 2016 season was enough to merit double the salary in 2017.

Joseph hit .174 with three doubles and no RBI in 141 plate appearances. The record was previously held by Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Wilbur Wood, after he recorded no RBI in 96 at-bats during the 1971 season.

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Joseph made $523,500 last season and was eligible for arbitration for the first time in his career. This is the second time a Major League club has won an arbitration case this offseason; the Boston Red Sox won their case against Fernando Abad while the Oakland Athletics lost their case against Khris Davis.

Joseph is expected to be the backup catcher to Welington Castillo. However, if the Orioles decide to keep Francisco Pena, who they have to place on waivers before he can go to the minors, Joseph’s spot on the roster could be in jeopardy. Joseph currently has minor league options.

Kevin Gausman ($3.55 Million vs. $3.15 Million) and Brad Brach ($3.05 Million vs. $2,525,000 Million) are both scheduled for arbitration hearings in the coming weeks. The Orioles said they would only settle for a “file-and-trial”, meaning they wouldn’t negotiate after exchanging figures on January 13th. The Orioles have won 11 of their last 12 arbitration cases.

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Arbitration cases are slated to run through February 17th.