Longview native Chris Davis gets huge contract offer from Orioles

Whether the Orioles eventually re-sign Davis or not, they are focused on rebuilding their team and pursuing other players.

Davis will undoubtedly make more than Jones, but how much? FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported Thursday morning that the O's had upped their initial proposal to Davis, possibly to as high as $168 million over seven years, but Olney's source says that is completely untrue. Orioles GM Dan Duquette met with Davis' agent, Scott Boras on Tuesday to discuss the free-agent slugger.

The last three seasons have been great for Davis from a macro kind of look.

The Orioles are engaged in a poker game with Boras. Davis could wait for Jason Heyward and some of the other big-name free agents to sign first while allowing his market to solidify.

Making an offer of this magnitude indicates their willingness to spend an unprecedented amount. Ben Zobrist remains the only big-name position player to sign a contract, agreeing to a four-year, $56 million deal with the Cubs. If they are going to go beyond their previous spending boundaries, it is more likely to be on a player like Davis than a free agent from another organization.

The meetings will be over tomorrow afternoon, and it may once again be the case that the Orioles only go home with a Rule 5 pick. He led the league in home runs a year ago with 47 and was second in the American League with 117 RBI, behind only the A.L. MVP Josh Donaldson. Matt Wieters accepted a one-year qualifying offer this offseason.

There is a chance that they still are interested in bringing Davis back, but certainly pulling back on an offer does not help their case, especially when he is the top power hitting bat on the open market this off-season.