Orioles sign spark plug mid-season addition to one-year deal

The Orioles are in the thick of it at today's non-tender deadline. Earlier this evening, the O's opted to non-tender RHP Jacob Webb in a bit of a surprising move. Now, we've learned from MLB.com's Mark Feinsand that the Orioles have avoided arbitration with spark plug mid-season addition Emmanuel Rivera.

Rivera and the Orioles came to terms on a one-year deal worth $1 million for 2025. Rivera was speculated to be one of the potential non-tender candidates for the Orioles but thanks to a stellar small sample performance after the O's claimed him in 2024, Rivera has secured a spot on next year's roster.

After the O's claimed him off waivers from Miami, Rivera came in and hit a scorching .313/.370/.578 with 4 homers and 3 doubles in 27 games. Rivera is versatile enough to play either infield corner and that flexibility, in addition to his change in approach at the plate in 2024, is why the Orioles chose to retain him.

Orioles avoid arbitration with surprisingly good infielder Emmanuel Rivera

Rivera might be good in his own right. While the 28 year old hadn't been a particularly valuable player throughout his career, something clicked when he arrived in Baltimore. He did get a bit lucky with a .364 BABIP, but his hard-hit rates skyrocketed and his production took a significant jump.

Sometimes it just is that simple. A small tweak in approach can make a big difference with a player like Rivera, who had already been a solid OBP guy to that point. Whether Rivera can retain the gains he made in 2025 remains to be seen but at the price the O's were able to get him for, it's worth taking the risk to find out.

Rivera had been projected to get $1.5 million in arbitration this winter. 2025 will be his first arbitration-eligible year, as he'd previously been under pre-arb team control making the league minimum $745k. The O's were able to get him a small raise, bumping him up to $1 million even.

It's unclear at this point whether Rivera returning will affect top prospect Coby Mayo's chances at a major league job to start the year. Mayo was terrible in limited time in the big leagues in 2024 and while the O's will give him another crack in spring training, it's possible he doesn't hit well enough to earn the spot. In that case, Rivera will be around to serve in a backup corner infield role and help the O's in the early going next year.