A free agent that seems to be holding up the market is Chris Davis. Maybe the best slugger in baseball today (certainly producing the best numbers) is waiting for someone to offer him more than the Baltimore Orioles. He’s been waiting for some time.
The thing about Davis that keeps getting mentioned is his agent, Scott Boras, who is known for having patience, and not minding taking a player deep into the offseason in order to get the best deal out of the standoff. Right now, the deal is $154 million, seven years. The Orioles keep threatening that they’re moving away from him soon. First there was mention of not going after anyone expensive to replace the home runs and RBIs. Lately, there’s been talk of Yoenis Cespedes and Justin Upton, two players everyone wants.
But Davis seems to hold the keys to unclogging the remainder of this offseason. There hasn’t been a bidding war for the two-time Home Run king (2013, 2015) and it does seem like the deal waiting for him from the Orioles is the best he’s going to get, but there are so many considerations for each team, it’s hard to really tell when it’s actually over for anyone when it comes to pursuing players.
Davis hit 47 home runs last season, making it 159 over the last four seasons, and after a rough 2014 (especially when it came to accuracy at the plate) he hit .262 and a .923 OPS, the second best of his career. He also led in strikeouts with 208, finishing 14th on the MVP balloting. He’s not a defensive problem at first base or anywhere else, and might be considered for an outfield role or designated hitter at times, obviously depending on where he ends up. Despite the wait, the Orioles are still the favorites to land him.