Wieters: Re-signing Davis is 'great addition by not subtraction'
In November, Matt Wieters unexpectedly accepted a one-year, $15.8-million qualifying offer to stay with the Baltimore Orioles, and the 29-year-old catcher was admittedly thrilled Saturday when Chris Davis decided to follow suit (albeit for a bit more money).
Davis, who led the American League in home runs in two of the last three seasons, reportedly agreed to a $161-million deal with the Orioles that will keep the 29-year-old first baseman in Baltimore through 2022. Though Wieters' tenure with the club could end after this season, the three-time All-Star is looking forward to spending at least another year with Davis, his teammate since 2011.
"I'm excited," Wieters told MASN's Roch Kubatko. "I'm excited to have Chris back as a person. We've grown closer during our time playing together. He's a great guy to have as part of our team and a guy I consider a friend on and off the field. It's great to have him back and be able to have him for 200-plus days a year.
Related: Orioles, Davis agree to 7-year, $161M deal
"There aren't bats out there with that kind of power and with his athletic ability. He makes the team deeper. It's great addition by not subtraction, I guess."
Wieters, who got confirmation of the deal via text message directly from the source Saturday morning, said Davis' return will help the Orioles retain some continuity. Despite losing Wei-Yin Chen to the Miami Marlins, the Orioles were able to re-sign Wieters, Davis, and Darren O'Day this offseason, keeping the core of the team in place even with several new faces on the 2016 roster (e.g. Hyun Soo Kim and Mark Trumbo).
"I said, 'Tell me it's true,' and he said, 'It's true,' so I'm excited for him," Wieters said. "The whole offseason has kind of been about not really knowing what's coming back. It's nice to know we're going to have a lot of the same team in place and build on it from there."
Wieters' sentiments were echoed by closer Zach Britton, who made his MLB debut with the Orioles in 2011 - the same season Baltimore acquired Davis from the Texas Rangers ahead of the non-waiver trade deadline.
"I think it's big for us," said Britton. "He's a good clubhouse guy, a good leader, and in all honesty, we really needed him back. We had a big hole to fill. And we know him."