Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun has reported tonight that the Orioles declined to offer Uehara arbitration.
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/2010/11/orioles_dont_offer_arbitration.html
I’m anxious to hear what the Warehouse has to say about this, because on the surface the decision seems hard to justify. If the O’s had offered Uehara arbitration, and he had declined; the O’s would have gained a compensatory pick in the Amateur draft between the 1st and 2nd rounds.
If Uehara had accepted arbitration, the O’s could have potentially been on the hook for more money in 2011 than they wanted to be. As Connolly points out, the O’s are continuing to negotiate with Uehara because they valued the contribution he provided when healthy. The injury concerns are obviously legitimate, but that risk is not greater than potentially not having Uehara back, or not getting an additional draft-pick if he does leave.
You would hope the O’s and Uehara basically have a deal in-place. The worst outcome now would be him leaving for elsewhere.
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