According to ESPN’s Buster Olney yesterday:
Recently, the Orioles made a modest offer to right fielder Nick Markakis, and the conversations went nowhere; it’s unclear whether the threads of negotiations will be picked up any time soon, or — more likely — will be held over until next winter.
A brief history on the Markakis negotiations is below. He will be arbitration-eligible for the first time after this season.
- In March, Markakis was renewed at $455K rather than the $800K he hoped for. He did not make any negative public comments, though several outlets perceived him to be miffed, ticked, and angered.
- In May, Olney wrote that the Orioles planned to wait at least three years before discussing long-term deals with young players like Markakis and Adam Jones.
- Later in May, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun said extension discussions are expected this winter. The O’s will focus on buying out free agent seasons.
- In July, Jeff Zrebiec of the Sun said the Orioles talked to Markakis about an extension but talks hit a wall and they’ll wait until after the season. Zrebiec said the Orioles wanted to buy out Markakis’ three arbitration years, at least. I speculated that the O’s could offer six years, $62MM.
