Orioles slugger Chris Davis was named the team MVP today for the second time in three years and a couple hours later the impending free agent expressed frustration that the front office has not approached him about a contract extension to remain in Baltimore.
Davis is having a monster year, hitting .258 with a league-leading 45 homers and a .904 OPS, bouncing back from a brutal 2014 that saw him hit just .196 before a 25-game suspension.
Davis is a tough free agent to get a handle on because his production has varied wildly from year-to-year and his extreme strikeout rate may scare off some teams, but he’s 29 years old and has averaged 40 homers per 150 games during the past four seasons.
He’s going to get a big contract from someone and it’s understandable if the Orioles are hesitant to be that team, but Davis made it clear to the local media that he wants to remain in Baltimore and also pointed out that shortstop J.J. Hardy and center fielder Adam Jones have signed in-season extensions with the Orioles recently.