In a highly unusual and potentially alarming example of slashing expenses this winter, the Orioles asked two arbitration-eligible players to accept deferrals of a portion of their one-year salaries so the full amounts wouldn’t be on the 2021 ledger, according to multiple industry sources.
As part of arbitration negotiations earlier this month, sources said, the Orioles hoped to shift roughly 25 percent of the 2021 salaries for two of their best players, infielder/outfielder Trey Mancini and outfielder Anthony Santander, to 2022 and/or 2023 as a way to keep the club’s payroll down as the Orioles struggle with cashflow after a pandemic-marred season without gate receipts.
If the offers had been accepted, the Orioles could have removed roughly $1.5 million (of the approximate $7 million earmarked for the two players) from their expenditures in 2021.
Both players rejected the proposal, however, with Mancini eventually settling for $4.75 million and…
