It took longer than they anticipated, but the Orioles are finally keeping their man.
After negotiations had stalled for weeks, first baseman Chris Davis agreed to a seven-year, $161 million contract on Saturday morning. The deal was first reported by CBS Sports after a standing offer of roughly $150 million was increased by owner Peter Angelos in talks with agent Scott Boras.
The does includes a limited no-trade clause and does not feature an opt-out, according to FOX Sports. However, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the deal includes $42 million in deferred money without interest, which should give the Orioles more financial flexibility to further augment the roster.
The 29-year-old Davis has hit 159 home runs over his four full seasons in Baltimore and led the majors in that category in 2013 and 2015, two seasons that sandwiched a horrendous campaign in which he hit .196 and was suspended 25 games for unauthorized Adderall use. The $161 million contract is the richest in Baltimore sports history and comes close to doubling the total amount the six-year, $85.5 million contract awarded to Adam Jones during the 2012 season.
The Orioles had appeared to move on from Davis a few days ago when interest in free-agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes increased. Baltimore had reportedly offered the 30-year-old a five-year, $90 million contract, but it was unclear how close the sides came to an agreement.
Entering the offseason with six free agents, the Orioles have now re-signed Davis and All-Star relief pitcher Darren O’Day to long-term deals and catcher Matt Wieters accepted a $15.8 million qualifying offer in November. Starting pitcher Wei-Yin Chen and outfielder Gerardo Parra found news homes earlier this week while outfielder Steve Pearce remains unsigned.
The Davis deal is pending a physical.
