Report: Orioles' owner involved in efforts to keep Davis
Chris Davis is one of the top free-agent hitters available on the open market, and Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos understands that all hands must be on deck in order to keep the prized first baseman.
Angelos has now become involved in the club's efforts to keep the 29-year-old slugger in Baltimore, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.
Davis, who turned down a one-year, $15.8-million qualifying offer, is expected to command a multi-year contract with a huge dollar value. Re-signing Davis could force the normally cost-effective Orioles to give him the richest contract in team history.
Manager Buck Showalter would like to see Davis return to Baltimore.
"We're going to be competitive with it and, at the end of the day, he and his people will have a decision to make," Showalter said in an interview on Hot Stove on Monday. "I try to leave those guys alone; believe me, their agents want us to leave them alone. ... Chris is a grown man. We talked many times. We had plenty of chances to talk (during the season), and he knows how much we like him and would like to have him stay. We are going to make an attempt to stay competitive with it."
The six-year, $85.5-million guaranteed deal Baltimore gave to center fielder Adam Jones in 2012 currently sits as the highest dollar-value deal in club history, followed by Miguel Tejada's $72-million contract in 2004, and Nick Markakis' $66.1-million agreement in 2009.
Aside from the heavy spending, Baltimore will also have competition for Davis' services, as the 2013 All-Star's reportedly already received interest from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Davis hit .262/.361/.562 with 117 RBIs in 2015, while also leading the American League in both home runs (47) and strikeouts (208).