Pirates, Jovan Oviedo go to 1st salary arbitration hearing of year

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jovan Oviedo and the Pittsburgh Pirates argued the first salary arbitration case of the year Tuesday.

A right-hander who turns 27 on March 2 and had Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss all of last season, Oviedo asked for a raise from $765,000 to $1.15 million while the Pirates argued for $850,000. He started 32 games in 2023, going 9-14 with a 4.31 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP

A decision by arbitrators Allen Ponak, Robert Herman and Jasbir Parmar is expected Wednesday.

Baltimore second baseman Jorge Mateo avoided a hearing when he agreed to a $3.55 million, one-year contract with a $5.5 million team option for 2026. The option could increase by $500,000 based on plate appearances in 2025: $125,000 each for 460, 480, 500 and 520.

Mateo had asked for $4 million and had been offered $3.1 million. He hit .229 with five homers, 18 RBIs and 13 stolen bases last year.

Eleven other players are scheduled for hearings, which run through Feb. 14. The largest amounts involve Washington first baseman Nathaniel Lowe ($11.1 million vs. $10.3 million), San Diego right-hander Michael King ($8.8 million vs. $7,325,000) and Milwaukee catcher William Contreras ($6.5 million vs. $5.6 million).