Chris Davis Returns to the Orioles
The Orioles will retain their slugging first baseman, according to Jon Heyman. Heyman tweeted out the deal first.
Breaking: Chris Davis is heading back to the Orioles. sides are in agreement.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 16, 2016
Davis will receive $161MM over the next seven years. The Orioles and Davis do not have an opt-out, but does include a full no-trade clause, as mentioned by Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.
The Davis deal is nearly twice the previous largest deal in #Orioles history. Adam Jones re-signed in 2012 for six years and $85.5 million.
— Rich DubroffMLB (@RichDubroffMLB) January 16, 2016
Davis will receive a $17 million annual salary from 2016 to 2022 and will receive additional annual payments through 2037, when he will be 51, a source told ESPN’s Buster Olney. There is no interest accrued on the deferrals.
The sides reached an agreement a little less than two days after the Orioles, then reportedly made an offer to free-agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.
Davis filed for free agency after the 2015 season and reportedly wasn’t satisfied with an earlier offer made by Baltimore, which was worth about $150 million. Orioles manager Buck Showalter seemed to be fed up about the prolonged contract talks earlier this week.
“How much is enough?” Showalter said Wednesday, according to the Baltimore Sun. “I asked Chris during the season, ‘Chris, when you walk into a Target store, can you buy anything you want? So, how much is enough?’
The contract itself drew a mixed reaction from many different baseball writers. Dave Cameron from Fangraphs believed that Scott Boras, Davis’ agent, stuck again:
Given the limited suitors looking for a first baseman, the remaining crop of quality outfielders, and the risks surrounding Davis’ skillset, this might be Scott Boras’ most impressive victory over reason yet. As an agent, he has perfected the ability to go around the baseball operations department, dealing directly with owners who simply don’t have the same level of knowledge as the people they employ to run their team on a daily basis. Except in this case, even Peter Angelos had to know he was bidding against himself.
Along with Cameron’s assessment, ESPN’s Keith Law weighed in on how he felt about the excessive nature of the contract:
Davis hit .196/.300/.404 in 2014, then, while having an excellent season in 2015, still had the American League’s highest strikeout rate (by a wide margin), worst contact rate and second-worst swinging strike rate (stats courtesy of Fangraphs). … He has been a $23 million player only twice in his career, is not going to get any better entering his 30s, and had no other probable landing spot this offseason.
Although some writers seemed to be baffled by Davis’ large contract, others could appreciate Davis’ talents, namely MLB.com’s Richard Justice:
His swing is a thing of beauty, swift and majestic and absolutely perfect for Camden Yards. He hits the ball hard more consistently than almost anyone. Only J.D. Martinez, David Ortiz and Matt Kemp had a higher hard contact percentage last season, according to fangraphs.com.
There’s also a human aspect to this story. … By the time the Orioles acquired Davis in 2011, he wasn’t exactly brimming with confidence. Enter the genius of Orioles manager Buck Showalter. He methodically helped restore Davis’ confidence in ways large and small. Showalter has deflected credit, saying Davis got this far through his own talent and relentless work ethic.
Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs also looks to see what was so appealing for the Orioles to sign Davis to this contract:
The idea presented: the money budgeted for Chris Davis wasn’t being budgeted for just anyone. Angelos has a particular fondness for Davis, and a particular appreciation of everything he’s done. It’s not quite that Davis is being paid right out of Angelos’ pocket, from a completely separate budget, but there are hints that the Orioles’ payroll might go higher with Davis than it would’ve without Davis. If that’s in any way true, then it has to also be a factor, because it means the Orioles would spend more on a team with Davis than they would on a team with, say, Yoenis Cespedes. Again, if that’s true, it would mean Davis is getting money that wouldn’t have been put elsewhere.
Where do I start? Davis almost didn’t return to Baltimore. That would’ve been a huge travesty, especially to my colleague Joe Serpico, who wrote his own column how he wouldn’t renew his season ticket plan if Davis wasn’t back. Although there were bumps in the road, seemingly there was miscommunication, and the impatient clamor among fans, Davis returned.
I believe that Crush Davis, as he is affectionately known by Baltimoreans, is a hard worker. He shows up to spring training every year in tip top physical condition, he is an MVP candidate when his bat is on fire, he is part of the Orioles core (along with third baseman Manny Machado and center fielder Adam Jones), and he is the “Home Run King”. He is a good defender at first base, he can play multiple positions, (1B, 3B, LF, RF) and he’s a team guy.
With all of that being said, this is a great re-signing by the Orioles. They get back their biggest power threat. Jones and Machado now have more protection in the lineup with the retention of Davis and the trade for first baseman/designated hitter Mark Trumbo. Great deal for those guys in Birdland.
One last thing, Chris Davis can do a lot of this for the boys in orange:
