Joseph and Brach on arbitration hearings

The Orioles have three players headed to arbitration hearings if agreements can't be reached on 2017 contracts, and the club indicated that it won't negotiate past the deadline. The process seems inevitable.

Pitchers Kevin Gausman and Brad Brach and catcher Caleb Joseph remain unsigned. Joseph said last night that he's planning to go to his hearing on Feb. 1 in St. Petersburg, Fla. before position players report to spring training.

Joseph is seeking $1 million and the Orioles countered at $700,000. He made $523,500 last season, his third in the majors.

"The only talks that I'm having is with my wife and how I need to take the trash out more and do the laundry and vacuum," he said last night on the "Hot Stove Show" on 105.7 The Fan. "This is what we hire agents for. This is really when they make their money, this is when they earn their keep.

"If something happens before then, then that will be what happens, but it's kind of like games. When you finish a game, you know the result and you kind of move on to the next thing. It's too late in the offseason. I don't have time to be dwelling on this. I need to be worried about swing preparation, making sure my footwork is right, all that kind of stuff.

"This stuff is way in the past already, so if something happens before then, excellent, but I'm fully focused on getting ready for the '17 season. If they call, we'll see what happens."

Brach filed at $3.05 million and the Orioles countered at $2.525 million, the largest gap between the players and club. He made $1.250 million last season, along with his first All-Star team.

"You'd rather not go to a hearing, but you look at the comparisons and see where you and the team are," said Brach, who's eligible for free agency following the 2018 season. "Sometimes you can't come to an agreement. It's not that we didn't want to, it just didn't happen.

"Like Caleb said, the biggest thing is, it's not on my mind. I'm just getting ready for the upcoming season and whenever the day is, we're going to go and we're either going to win or lose the hearing and go from there. I'm going to be here, so that's what I'm looking forward to the most and am excited for it."

Joseph will be reminded again that he failed to drive in a run in 141 plate appearances. The subject came up again last night, though I felt like I was prepping him for FanFest.

"I think I'll probably be over it at the end of the day on Feb. 1, and then we move on," he said. "I spent a lot of time trying to re-channel energies and stuff. For me, 2016 was a fluke, it was an anomaly. It was a fluke. I've proven I can hit, I've proven I can drive in runs, and I feel really good with my workouts the way they are now. And if people want to ask about it, you guys have jobs to do. I understand that. But it's not something that I'm dwelling about very much.

"I was able to put it in the backseat the day I got home and I feel really confident about this upcoming season."

Good health should lead to better results for Joseph, who appeared in only 49 games and spent a month on the disabled list after sustaining a testicular injury that required surgery.

Brach obviously has a spot waiting for him. Meanwhile, Joseph may end up in a competition with Francisco Pena, who's out of options, but he's showing up in Sarasota expecting to head north with the team.

"I don't think anybody comes into camp and is fully relaxed," Joseph said. "I think just the drive in us as athletes, as players, you're always wanting to be the best. The fight I have is between me and myself, and I know that if I can get to certain levels, then I'll probably be productive, I'll probably stay and I'll probably have a nice career, stuff like that. So it's 95 percent me versus me.

"I absolutely plan and intend on being a catcher on this team. There's no question in my mind. Not once has it flashed through my head that you may not be a part of this team. Like I said, '16 was a fluke and it's way in the past and I feel like what I've done in '14 and '15 is really more of who I am. Hopefully, I get an opportunity and I fully anticipate getting an opportunity to prove that '14 and '15 was more of the player I am and '16 was a fluke. It hasn't crossed my mind once and I'm jacked up.

"Where I'm at right now is completely focused on '17 and focused on all these energies and positive vibes, as one of our strength instructors says. Yeah, I'm excited for it."

Teams keep checking on Brach's availability, making him one of the more popular trade targets in the organization. He's viewed as a potential closer, his role in the minors.

The Mets tried to pry him loose at the Winter Meetings, with discussions including outfielders Curtis Granderson and Jay Bruce. Brach was fully aware, and also relieved - so to speak - that he remained an Oriole.

"I love it here in Baltimore," Brach said. "Ever since I've come over here I've felt really comfortable. But I couldn't help but notice, especially growing up in New Jersey. I have a bunch of friends who are Mets fans. The day that happened, I had five phone calls and text messages. 'Are you going to the Mets?' You can't help but follow that stuff.

"I've seen it, but like I've talked about before, it's a business and it's part of it. It's definitely flattering that these teams see me as a guy who could potentially close for them or help them get to the playoffs and the World Series. That's everybody's goal. But I'm definitely glad to be back and looking forward to having ... not to sound cocky, but I don't think there's going to be a better bullpen than ours this year.

"I think with Mychal Givens coming back this year and Darren O'Day coming back full strength, I just don't see how collectively one through seven anyone can have a stronger bullpen than what we're going to put together here."

As I wrote back in October, Brach underwent a minor procedure on his left knee after the season to repair a small tear in the meniscus. Ravens team physician Dr. Leigh Ann Curl performed the surgery, which Brach was told lasted only seven to 10 minutes.

Brach said last night that the knee is fine and won't impact his availability in spring training.

"I was in and out of the hospital that day," he said. "There really was no rehab. Once the wound healed, it was just take it easy for a couple of months and then be ready to go. It hasn't affected me now. I don't feel any difference, so definitely ready to go for spring. It all went well."

Reminder: Mark Trumbo's press conference will air live today beginning at 3 p.m. on MASN, MASNsports.com and 105.7 The Fan.