Orioles sign 2B Roberts to one-year contract

Feb 1, 2007 - 7:43 PM BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- The Baltimore Orioles avoided salary arbitration with Brian Roberts, signing the second baseman to a one-year contract Thursday.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but the Baltimore Sun reported on its web site that Roberts will receive $4.2 million in 2007. He had a base salary of $3.1 million last season.

Roberts, 29, batted .286 with 10 home runs, 55 RBI and a career-high 36 stolen bases last season, his sixth with the Orioles. The 5-9 sparkplug rebounded nicely from offseason elbow surgery, appearing in 138 games.

A favorite among Orioles fans, Roberts has spent his entire career in Baltimore, batting .280 with 40 homers, 250 RBI and 136 stolen bases.

Roberts enjoyed his finest season in 2005 when he batted .314 with 18 homers and 73 RBI - all career highs - en route to his only All-Star appearance. He had his banner campaign cut short in September when he suffered a devasting elbow injury which required surgery, a potentially career-ending procedure.

Center fielder Corey Patterson and lefthander Erik Bedard are the only two Orioles still eligible for arbitration.

Patterson batted .276 with 16 homers, 53 RBI and 45 stolen bases while earning a base salary of $2.8 million. Bedard went 15-11 with a 3.76 ERA and had a base salary of $1.4 million.