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Chris Davis

Orioles Notes: Davis, Alvarez, Pearce

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At an annual fan event, Orioles executive VP Dan Duquette confirmed the club has pulled its $150MM offer to Chris Davis, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Talks have not been terminated, but Duquette implied it would be up to Davis’ agent Scott Boras to revisit negotiations. Duquette also stated that Davis has not been involved in the process – all talks have gone through Boras (this is typical but worth noting). For his part, Boras says he has been given no indication that talks are closed, per Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (tweet).

Here’s the latest from the O’s including more information via Kubatko from their fan event.

  • Duquette also commented on Jason Heyward’s contract structure (tweet). With regard to Heyward’s two opt-outs, “That kind of structure wouldn’t work for the Orioles.” While long-term contracts with opt-outs are becoming more popular as a means to keep average annual value in check, some teams may not be comfortable accepting the back-end risk if a player implodes unexpectedly.
  • Also per Kubatko (tweet), Duquette will use some of the money budgeted for Davis on other players. However, the club probably will not spend all of it this winter. To me, that seems to rule out a pursuit of Justin Upton or Alex Gordon.
  • If talks with Davis fall through, the O’s may turn their attention to Pedro Alvarez, tweets CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman. Alvarez offers many of the same characteristics as Davis, but with less defensive versatility. His left-handed power bat would be a good fit for the AL East. Camden Yards and Yankee Stadium are two of the best parks for left-handed home runs. The Brewers are also in on Alvarez.
  • Orioles free agent Steve Pearce is “under consideration,” per Duquette (tweet). Entering his age 33 season, Pearce has compiled 5.6 career WAR over parts of nine campaigns. However, 4.9 of those wins were earned in his excellent 2014 season. He declined dramatically in 2015 over a similar number of plate appearances. He did fill a useful utility role by playing at first, second, and both corner outfields last season.
  • Meanwhile, VP of baseball operations Brady Anderson is disappointed that Davis and reliever Darren O’Day reached free agency, writes Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com. “When you have him [O’Day], he makes it look so easy, you forget how hard it is and it can cost you millions of dollars. In Darren’s case, that is what happened. In Chris Davis’ case, the same thing is happening.” Anderson notes that small- and mid-market clubs have to be more successful in signing players to long term extensions.

Cardinals Expected To Pursue Alex Gordon

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With Jason Heyward set to join the division-rival Cubs, the Cardinals are expected to make a push to add fellow free agent outfielder Alex Gordon, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports on Twitter. Of course, Gordon has also reportedly drawn interest from deep-pocketed clubs like the Giants, Angels, and others, so his market promises to be robust.

St. Louis has also been rumored to have some interest in slugger Chris Davis, who might not be seen as an outfielder but could still fit in St. Louis, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports posits on Twitter that he could still be an option. Going for Gordon, meanwhile, might also leave the team with some free capacity to add a starter, Rosenthal suggests.

It should be noted that it remains entirely unclear whether the Cards will plan to reallocate any cash that might have gone to Heyward (or to David Price) directly back into free agency. After all, the organization has not traditionally been one of the biggest factors in free agency. And while, owner Bill DeWitt Jr. has said that the Cards will “stretch” in the right situation, it’s not clear whether any such opportunities remain.

Of course, Gordon promises to command a far more limited commitment than did Heyward and Price. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted a $105MM commitment over five years, which is a hefty sum for a player who’ll soon turn 32 but is nowhere near the overall outlay needed to land the other two. It also still seems likely he’ll fall shy of Justin Upton and Yoenis Cespedes, the other top outfielders remaining on the market.

Orioles’ Offer To Chris Davis No Longer On The Table

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10:07am: ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets that the Orioles didn’t raise their most recent offer to Davis — “not one nickel,” as his source put it. Not only that, but Baltimore’s offer to Davis is no longer on the table, according to Olney, though he adds that they’re willing to pick up the past thread of talks. MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko tweets that a club source denies their offer was increased as well.

DEC. 10, 8:40am: Baltimore has reportedly increased its offer to Davis, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, who hears they may be willing to go as high as $168MM over seven years — a $24MM average annual value. It’s uncertain whether or not the previously reported deferrals are still included in the revamped offer.

It was reported last night that Davis is seeking as much as $200MM over an eight-year term.

DEC. 9: Baltimore’s previously-reported offer of around $150MM was for seven years, Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. The O’s are “currently not willing” to exceed a $22MM average annual value to Davis, Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports on Twitter. The Orioles’ offer may also have some deferred money involved, per Kubatko.

As was recently reported, the team may not be willing to wait forever for Davis to decide and is pursuing other options as well.

DEC. 8: Orioles owner Peter Angelos and executive VP Dan Duquette have made their desire to retain Chris Davis abundantly clear, and Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com sheds some light on just how serious they are in their quest to retain Davis, tweeting that the Orioles offered their former first baseman “in the neighborhood” of $150MM at today’s previously reported meeting with agent Scott Boras. Despite the sizable nature of that offer, talks between the two sides have yet to progress, Kubatko adds.

The reported offer is a staggering number from an Orioles organization that has never given out a contract larger than the six-year, $86.5MM contract signed by Adam Jones back in 2012. Of course, it’s not known how long the term of that contract is, and the differences between a six-year, $150MM offer and a seven- or eight-year $150MM offer are considerable from the perspective of Davis and Boras.

The 29-year-old Davis is the top power bat on the open market, as he leads the Majors in homers over the past three seasons. He’s also considered to be a plus defender at first base, and ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick recently wrote that some scouts consider him athletic enough to play a competent, albeit below-average corner outfield for a season or two should a team need to play him there in order to wait for a spot at first base to open up.

Given Boras’ history with top-tier free agents, it’s perhaps not surprising to see Davis pass on an early offer of that magnitude. Nevertheless, the offer does seem to demonstrate legitimate interest on Baltimore’s behalf, when at the onset of the 2015-16 offseason, most believed that the team did not possess the financial flexibility to keep Davis in Maryland. That line of thinking was strengthened when Matt Wieters accepted a qualifying offer and when the Orioles struck a four-year, $31MM agreement to retain setup ace Darren O’Day.

In spite of those costly contracts, the Orioles seem to be firmly in the thick of the still-developing market for Davis. The Cardinals have also been linked to Davis, and the Red Sox are said to have had internal discussions about him as well (though they’d first need to move Hanley Ramirez). ESPN’s Buster Olney also reported last month that the Giants have interest in Davis.

Chris Davis Reportedly Seeking Eight Years, $200MM

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The Orioles are said to have extended a seven-year offer worth roughly $150MM to bring free-agent first baseman Chris Davis back to Baltimore, but Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that Davis is “believed to be seeking” an eight-year pact that will guarantee him $200MM through what would be his age-37 season.

Heyman reports that the Orioles’ offer to Davis now exceeds $150MM over a seven-year term, although MLB.com’s Britt Ghiroli tweets some dissenting information, stating that the Orioles have not upped their offer. Baltimore has met with the representatives for Justin Upton and also are interested in Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez and free-agent Pedro Alvarez as the team lines up potential contingency plans.

A $200MM guarantee for Davis may seem difficult to fathom, and may not prove achievable, but it’s notable that Boras feels comfortable seeking it — particularly with such a significant chunk of change already on the table. We’ve yet to hear of much concrete interest from other teams around the league, but surely Davis has caught the attention of several other organizations.

Latest On Orioles’ Pursuit Of Bats

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2:19pm: Baltimore is one of several teams to have checked in on Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.

12:25pm: Will Venable could also present an option for the Orioles, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets.

10:02am: Baltimore met twice with Scott Boras regarding Davis and have told him that they “soon might pivot” to other options, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Meanwhile, Baltimore is “out” on both Mitch Moreland of the Rangers and Adam Lind of the Brewers.

The O’s also have been looking at 27-year-old Korean outfielder Hyun-soo Kim, a polished hitter who is available as a free agent.

9:39am: The Orioles met recently with Justin Upton’s agent, Larry Reynolds, as the team continues to pursue power options in free agency, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter. Baltimore reportedly made a huge offer to Chris Davis, but seems to be pursuing other avenues as well.

Meanwhile, the club is “hoping” to add a left-handed hitter (possibly in addition to a pitcher) at some point today, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports on Twitter. In theory, at least, that could represent a free agent outfielder as Gerardo Parra or Alex Gordon, a slugging first base/DH option such as Pedro Alvarez, some unknown trade target, or a major move on Davis.

It’s not immediately clear what level of interest the O’s have in Upton, but it could be more of an opportunistic fit than the team’s dogged pursuit of Davis. As Kubatko tweets, the club “won’t pass up impact” regardless whether the hitter acquired is a righty or a lefty. And as MLB.com’s Britt Ghiroli notes on Twitter, executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette has said the team will be aggressive rather than waiting to see what Davis decides.

Infield Notes: Zobrist, Davis, Lind, Moreland, Walker, Angels, Flowers, Reynolds, Matsuda

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The Mets are “pretty optimistic” of landing free agent infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. New York expects a decision today or tomorrow, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (Twitter links). While the team has yet to formally offer a fourth year, says Sherman, it would work out a fourth year if Zobrist indicates he’d like to join the club.

Here are some more updates on the market for infielders:

  • The Orioles are meeting today with agent Scott Boras regarding free agent first baseman Chris Davis, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports on Twitter. As Kubatko notes, Boras also represents Pedro Alvarez, who could theoretically also represent an option for Baltimore — at least if the team misses on Davis.
  • Brewers first baseman Adam Lind appears to have a broad potential market, with Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweeting that at least 12 clubs have “checked in” on him.
  • One such team is the Orioles, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter), who says that Baltimore has inquired on both Lind and Mitch Moreland of the Rangers. But the O’s don’t appear to “match up” with Milwaukee on Lind, Haudricourt adds via Twitter.
  • There’s no realistic possibility of an extension between Neil Walker and the Pirates, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. GM Neal Huntington says that he feels the team has sufficient internal options — and acquisition possibilities — to “back-fill if Walker is dealt.
  • The Pirates’ talks with the Rangers on Moreland have “cooled” but are still alive, Biertempfel further reports.
  • Though there’s continuing interest, the Angels don’t appear likely to land Howie Kendrick in free agency, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports. The veteran second baseman is probably going to be too expensive given the team’s other needs, per Fletcher.
  • The Angels could look to the Diamondbacks’ stockpile of young infielders to fill one of the club’s potential openings, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times suggests. Los Angeles could offer starting pitching in return.
  • Free agent backstop Tyler Flowers is reportedly deciding between the Yankees, Braves, and Rays, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (Twitter links). He’d potentially serve as Brian McCann’s backup in New York, says Hoch. That could, in theory at least, make fellow backstops Gary Sanchez and Austin Romine available to utilize in a trade. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reported on the Braves interest this morning via Twitter, saying that the club is considering Flowers in an effort to avoid over-exposing free agent addition A.J. Pierzynski. If Flowers goes to Atlanta, it would immediately raise yet more questions about the future of young receiver Christian Bethancourt.
  • Free agent slugger Mark Reynolds is drawing interest from the Rockies, Cardinals, Giants, and Pirates, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
  • Among the teams with interest in Japanese third baseman Nobuhiro Matsuda are the White Sox and Padres, Heyman adds on Twitter.

Yankees Notes: Davis, Marlins, Miller, Eovaldi

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The Yankees aren’t known for having quiet offseasons, yet their relative lack of moves this winter isn’t just the calm before the storm, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News writes.  “There’s a reason they haven’t been attached to any big free agent.  They’re not in on them,” one Major League executive tells Feinsand.  Another exec says the Yankees are being truthful when they say they’re not planning to add to their payroll, as “that’s what they’ve been telling everybody publicly and privately.”  Here’s some more from the Bronx…

  • The Yankees “said they had a real interest in [Chris] Davis” earlier in the year, a source tells George A. King III of the New York Post, but backed off since “he wants Teixeira money.”  Mark Teixeira’s eight-year, $180MM deal would certainly seem to be well above the Yankees’ current comfort zone, and it could be a stretch in general as MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes projected Davis for a six-year, $144MM deal.  (Then again, Davis’ agent Scott Boras was also the one who negotiated Teixeira’s contract back in 2008.)  King hears that the Blue Jays have been linked to Davis in “chatter.”
  • Also from King, the Marlins “have liked” Yankees pitchers Bryan Mitchell and Adam Warren, with Miami looking at Mitchell as a starter and Warren in the bullpen.  While both arms are interesting trade chips, King notes that it would obviously take a lot more for the Yankees to obtain a major Marlins player like Marcell Ozuna.
  • If the Yankees are to meet their goal of obtaining a quality starter in his pre-arb years, an AL executive tells King that dealing Andrew Miller might be the only way.  “Nobody else they have, especially if they aren’t going to trade their top prospects, brings that young starter back but Miller,” the exec said.  Joel Sherman of the New York Post opines that in return for Miller, the Bombers would demand a pitcher at least as well-regarded as Eduardo Rodriguez, who the Red Sox obtained for Miller at the 2014 trade deadline.
  • Also from Sherman’s piece, he hears from a rival executive who asked the Yankees about Nathan Eovaldi this winter, though “talks did not progress far.”  The fact that GM Brian Cashman was willing to discuss Eovaldi at all is a sign, Sherman opines, that the club is truly open to hearing all options to upgrade the roster.
  • Sherman notes that the Cubs still consider Brett Gardner one of several backup options if they’re unable to land another center field target.  A Gardner-for-Starlin Castro rumor surfaced last month though the Yankees were said to want pitching in a Gardner deal.

Duquette On Davis, Matusz, Walker

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Orioles executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette spoke to the media (including Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun and MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko) on the eve of the Winter Meetings, and here are some of the highlights…

  • Duquette didn’t have much of an update on the Orioles’ talks with Chris Davis, only to say that the team is still involved since “I don’t know what the other teams’ market is for him.”  As Kubatko put it, there are several baseball people at the Winter Meetings “wondering if the Orioles are the frontrunners by default.”  Baltimore has been the only team clearly linked to Davis thus far, though the Cardinals and Red Sox have both been rumored to have at least some interest.
  • The Orioles’ shopping list includes an outfielder and Duquette said the team would prefer to add a left-handed hitter to help balance the lineup.  As expected, Duquette didn’t comment on specific free agents, such as when he was asked about Baltimore’s rumored interest in Alex Gordon.  “He’s a free agent, right?  He’s a left-handed hitter. There’s some good players on that market that are outfielders. There’s some good players there,” Duquette said.
  • The bullpen is also a need area, and Duquette didn’t comment on how close the O’s were to any sort of final agreement with Darren O’Day.
  • Duquette also said that “ideally” the team would add some lefty balance to both the lineup and the pitching staff, though the Orioles would “be OK with five righties” in the rotation.  If the O’s don’t have a left-handed starter by Spring Training, Duquette said the team could consider moving Brian Matusz back to the rotation since the southpaw usually stretches out in the spring in order to work on all of his pitches.  Matusz struggled as a starter over his first four MLB seasons before reviving his career as a very effective lefty specialist out of the bullpen since 2013.
  • First base prospect Christian Walker is receiving “quite a bit of interest” from other teams.  Walker has hit .280/.348/.453 with 57 homers over 1723 PA in the minors, though he has only a .751 OPS at the Triple-A level, something Duquette believed could be due to Triple-A Norfolk’s large ballpark.  Baseball America ranked him as the third-best prospect in Baltimore’s system prior to the 2015 season.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Alvarez, Red Sox, Rays, Orioles

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Yankees GM Brian Cashman is downplaying the team’s interest in free agents, writes George A. King III of the New York Post. The Yankees are shopping veterans Ivan Nova, Brett Gardner, and Andrew Miller, but talks have subsided for the moment. According to Cashman, “I think it’s more likely that we keep them than move them. I say that recognizing that if someone wants to ring a bell that I’ve put out there, that could happen.”

Here’s more from the AL East:

  • The Yankees don’t have a spot for recently non-tendered slugger Pedro Alvarez, writes King. Before considering the roster, Alvarez sounds like a decent fit. As a youth, Alvarez attended school in the Bronx and played for the Bayside Bombers – an elite travel team based in the area. Yankee Stadium is also extremely friendly to left-handed power. However, the Yankees are swamped with designated hitters. Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran, and prospect Greg Bird all overlap to some degree.
  • New York could try to upgrade in the middle infield next week, writes Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Rob Refsnyder and Dustin Ackley are expected to platoon at second base, but Cashman will continue to monitor the market for more reliable alternatives. Feinsand offers Howie Kendrick, Brandon Phillips, and Martin Prado as three players to watch. Kendrick is a free agent while Phillips and Prado would have to be acquired via trade.
  • Owner John Henry says the Red Sox could add another starter, writes John Tomase of WEEI.com. Boston inked David Price to a record breaking contract earlier in the week. Per Henry, “I do think there is trade potential. We have a lot of pitching and we have a lot of talent. We’re not going to trade away our core young players, but we might be able to get a core young pitcher.” Henry did mention that the asking price for high quality pitchers is probably out of their range.
  • The Rays also aren’t a fit for designated hitters Alvarez or Chris Carter, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa would have to make a trade to open playing time for them. The club is likely looking to trade pitching for young hitters like Jorge Soler or Javier Baez.
  • The large contracts signed by Price and Zack Greinke could take the Orioles out of the market for Chris Davis, opines Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun. Schmuck figures the floor for Davis is probably around $150MM – more than double the biggest free agent deal ever inked by the Orioles. The market for hitters has been much slower to establish itself, so there is still a change we’ll be surprised. For now, I agree Davis may wind up outside of Baltimore’s price range.
  • The Orioles aren’t usually flashy participants at the Winter Meetings, but they do have a few needs to fill, write Eduardo A. Encina and Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Davis, the rotation, and the outfield are obvious concerns. The bullpen could be a challenge to buoy if Darren O’Day signs elsewhere. The Nationals and Orioles are considered front runners for his services. Baltimore likes to make Rule 5 picks under Dan Duquette. The club already has to roster Dylan Bundy who is out of options – possibly preventing them from keeping a pick.

Free Agent Notes: Davis, Heyward, Zobrist, Asdrubal, Young, Cotts

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Slugger Chris Davis is not the “top priority” for Cardinals GM John Mozeliak, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports on Twitter. A source tells Crasnick that St. Louis’s reported interest in the free agent is “overblown.” Of course, it remains tricky to find a perfect fit for the slugger, whose market still seems to be developing. From an analytical perspective, though, he appears to be a fairly solid match with the Cards. Indeed, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes picked the former Oriole to land there.

Here’s the latest from the rest of the free agent market:

  • Top free agent outfielder Jason Heyward looks more like a “secondary option” for the Cubs, Buster Olney of ESPN.com tweets. In other words, Chicago is pursuing other opportunities, but could pivot to chase Heyward if those other possibilities don’t come to fruition.
  • The Mets’ interest in Ben Zobrist is real, but that doesn’t mean the team will promise him four years to get a deal done, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports. New York’s pursuit of Zobrist is part of a flexible offseason plan, writes Rubin, in which various types of additions could be considered at the second base position — and elsewhere — as the market dictates.
  • Three teams are “in the mix” for free agent middle infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets. He’s expected to ink a deal “within the next week or so,” per Cotillo, which would seem to suggest that the veteran could find his next team by the time the Winter Meetings are wrapped up.
  • The Royals have had “encouraging talks” with free agent righty Chris Young about a return, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan reports. Both the 36-year-old and the team have expressed interest in a continued relationship, though it remains to be seen whether other clubs will make a push for his services — and, if so, whether Kansas City will be willing and able to meet or beat the market.
  • Similarly, the Twins have real interest in bringing back lefty reliever Neal Cotts, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports. Minnesota added Cotts in an August waiver trade. Fellow free agent southpaw Brian Duensing, meanwhile, tells Berardino that he hasn’t heard anything yet from the only professional organization he’s ever played for.
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