BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles ran out of patience in their effort to re-sign free-agent slugger Chris Davis.
Dan Duquette, the executive vice president of baseball operations, said Saturday that the team rescinded a contract proposal to Davis believed to be in the vicinity of $150 million.
“There’s no offer on the table right now,” Duquette said. “At some point we’re going to have to look at some other options. I can tell you this: We’re going to have a good ballclub either way.”
Baltimore has been persistent this offseason in its pursuit of Davis, who had a major-league leading 47 homers last season with 117 RBI. He hit 53 home runs in 2013 and has averaged 40 long balls with the Orioles over the past four years.
Despite being considered to be a mid-market team, Baltimore put up big bucks in an effort to get Davis back in the fold.
“We’ve been very aggressive on that front and it didn’t yield a deal,” Duquette said. “We’ll have to find some left-handed hitters to balance the lineup.”
If Davis doesn’t return, the list of prospective first basemen for the Orioles includes recent addition Mark Trumbo, Steve Pearce, and minor leaguers Trey Mancini and Christian Walker.
That’s one reason Manager Buck Showalter didn’t express disappointment over the break in negotiations with Davis and his agent, Scott Boras.
“I don’t dwell on it,” Showalter said. “We have been competitive to a point. They’ve got to make a decision on how much is enough. We’d like to have him, but we’ll be fine either way.”
Duquette, Showalter and many of the players gathered for FanFest, an annual event designed to generate enthusiasm for the upcoming season.
Much of the talk centered on Davis. While it remains uncertain if Davis will return, many of the Orioles were happy that the team at least made an effort to get him back.
“I think they’ve been aggressive. That’s all I can ask for,” center fielder Adam Jones said. “It’s up to the player. I would love to have him on my team, but he’s going to have to make the best business decision for himself.”
Shortstop J.J. Hardy said: “It’s nice to know they’re willing to go out there and spend that much money to stay competitive. Hopefully he accepts and we get him back.”
It’s already been a positive offseason for the Orioles. Catcher Matt Wieters accepted the team’s qualifying offer, Trumbo was obtained in a trade with Seattle and Baltimore is about to close a four-year deal with setup man Darren O’Day.
“We just have one more item to get done on that contract,” Duquette said. “Hopefully we can get that resolved in the next couple of days.”
PHILLIES-ASTROS: Closer Ken Giles was traded from Philadelphia to Houston as part of a seven-player deal that sent a former No. 1 overall draft pick, Mark Appel, to Philadelphia.
Shortstop Jonathan Arauz also was sent to the Astros, and right-handers Vincent Velasquez, Thomas Eshelman and Harold Arauz went to the Phillies with left-hander Brett Oberholtzer. The trade was agreed to at the winter meetings.
PHILLIES-PIRATES: Philadelphia added depth to its starting rotation, acquiring right-hander Charlie Morton from Pittsburgh for minor league pitcher David Whitehead.
Morton, 32, has a record of 45-70 with a 3.91 ERA. He went 9-9 with a 4.81 ERA in 23 starts for the Pirates in 2015, missing the first two months while recovering from a procedure on his hip. Morton won six of his first seven starts in 2015 but struggled after the All-Star break, going 3-7 with a 5.81 ERA in the second half.
NATIONALS: General Manager Mike Rizzo said his club won’t pursue a trade for Reds closer Aroldis Chapman while the pitcher’s domestic violence case is pending.
According to a police report, Chapman’s girlfriend said he pushed and choked her in October. Major League Baseball’s investigation delayed a proposed trade of Chapman from the Reds to the Dodgers.
n Free-agent pitcher Yusmeiro Petit agreed to a contract, pending a physical exam.
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