Baltimore Orioles: Projected Arbitration Figures And Decisions

A small projected raise for Givens means an easy decision for the Baltimore Orioles.

2019 salary- $2.15 million         MLBTR projected salary- $3.2 million

The rumor mill was cranking early this season when it came to Mychal Givens, but like the Villar rumors, nothing came to fruition. It was a tough year for Givens, but some of that may be tied to how he was used in 2019.

Overall, he was 2-6 with a 4.57 ERA (career-high) with 11 saves in his first season as the primary closer for Baltimore. It didn’t take long for manager Brandon Hyde to move to a closer by committee approach after watching Givens allow 15 runs on 22 hits (six home runs) through the first two months of the season.

The ninth inning wasn’t exactly where Givens excelled. His 6.69 ERA and 1.51 WHIP weren’t numbers you want to see out of your closer, but his 1.93 ERA and 0.77 WHIP in the eighth inning of ballgames was impressive. He also logged 3.2 innings of work in the seventh inning. Just one of 11 batters he faced reached base (walk).

I feel a bright idea coming on. Don’t pitch Mychal Givens in the ninth inning. His career-high 12.29 K/9 IP was a bright spot and a reason he may be attractive to other teams this offseason. A trade is the likeliest option this offseason, but if not, Givens returns as the setup man to Hunter Harvey in 2020 and gets an opportunity to turn things around.