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The transaction wire was flooded in the days leading into this week’s Major League Baseball winter meetings, and it did not stop over the first two days in Nashville, Tennessee. 

But by the time Day 4 concluded Thursday, the final official day of the meetings was mostly uneventful and much of the wire activity consisted of minor or mid-level moves. Still, all can be significant to the teams involved even if the signings and trades don’t necessarily move the needle.

The biggest news to the market came from the Baltimore Orioles who reportedly revoked their approximate $150 million offer to Chris Davis, and three teams being named as the finalists for Jason Heyward’s services.

The biggest signings were from the reliever market with Jonathan Broxton headed back to the St. Louis Cardinals and Tony Sipp re-signing with the Houston Astros. On the trade front, Yunel Escobar is headed to the Los Angeles Angels.

We analyze those rumors and deals, along with the others, coming out of the final day of the 2015 MLB winter meetings.

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The 2015 MLB winter meetings have not disappointed, as several high-priced players have been made available either through free agency or via trade.

Yet, the market for offensive firepower has been relatively quiet to this point, but with the winter meetings set to close at the end of the day Thursday, we could see some last-minute deals done before the general managers part ways.

1. Jason Heyward makes his long-awaited decision

It seems clear that Jason Heyward is going to make his decision before the winter meetings draw to a close.

Heyward is the key to opening up the outfield free-agent market, as Alex Gordon, Yoenis Cespedes and Justin Upton are all waiting to see how much the lefty is offered before agreeing to contracts of their own.

The Cardinals and Cubs appear to be at the forefront of the conversations surrounding Heyward, who will ultimately decide which NL Central club is more appealing. St. Louis was the best team in the major leagues during the regular season, winning 100 games while winning the division crown.

But the Cubs were arguably the most surprising team of 2015, and their surplus of young talent should appeal to Heyward.

Theo Epstein isn’t afraid to pay free agents, as evidenced by the Ben Zobrist signing, but St. Louis will likely emerge victorious in this bidding war.

After seeing how valuable Heyward was at the plate and in the field, it just wouldn’t make sense for the Cardinals to let him go. Heyward gets paid and will be a Cardinal for years to come.

2. Chris Davis returns to Baltimore

One of the biggest sluggers on the market, Chris Davis, remains available, although several teams seem reluctant to pay a guy who struck out 208 times the $200 million he is supposedly requesting.

The Orioles were one of those teams reluctant to meet that price tag but still remain the favorite to land Davis.

However, Davis has 126 homers over his past three seasons, which has to intrigue some teams who struggled to hit the long ball in 2015.

The Orioles seem to have shown the most interest in Davis throughout the offseason and would be willing to reopen previous talks if his price comes down.

In the end, Davis signs with Baltimore for less than he is currently asking for after realizing he’s not likely to get the same long-term deal from other teams.

3. Todd Frazier heads to Cleveland

Cincinnati has a slugger of its own in Todd Frazier, one it had to trade in order to truly kick off the great Reds rebuild of 2015.

Frazier is an intriguing option for many teams, as his 35 home runs make him a middle-of-the-order threat. What makes him even more valuable is his defense, as he finished as a Gold Glove finalist at third base in 2015.

At first, it seemed the Angels were a perfect fit, but their weak farm system and unwillingness to pay the luxury tax have likely soured any deals for a player of Frazier’s caliber.

Cleveland has emerged as a front-runner in the Todd Frazier sweepstakes, and it has enough young pitching depth to make the deal happen. The Indians would likely have to part ways with a starting pitcher such as Carlos Carrasco to make the trade happen, but they appear to have enough depth to consider it as a possibility.

Carlos Santana led the Indians with just 19 homers in 2015, so Frazier could step in and become the power threat this team desperately needs.

Right now, Cincinnati’s asking price seems to be too high for Cleveland to agree to a deal, but if the Reds bring down their offer, expect the Indians to pounce and make a trade happen.

So now we’ve talked about some of the big bats on the market, but how about those remaining pitchers that could be available?

4. Johnny Cueto becomes a Cardinal

Johnny Cueto is now the most sought-after starting pitcher on the free-agent market. Cueto‘s performance in Game 2 of the World Series only increased his value, and the fact he is still 29 years old makes him an easy long-term commitment.

Despite both the Dodgers and Giants acquiring starting pitchers this offseason, Cueto remains linked to the NL West rivals. However, the Dodgers appear more inclined to work on their bullpen, while the Giants are targeting outfield help as a main priority.

St. Louis is a potential landing point; however, many Cardinal fans still remember this moment in one of the ugliest brawls in recent memory. 

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, though, Cueto‘s agent sees the Cardinals as a likely fit for his client’s services.

Houston and Seattle are also looking to fill voids in their starting rotations, but Cueto‘s asking price will likely be out of either team’s range, especially with cheaper options on the market like Scott Kazmir.

In the end, St. Louis will sign Cueto to a large deal, and all will be forgiven in St. Louis when he leads the Cardinals back to another division title in 2016.

5. Andrew Miller is traded to the Dodgers

The last deal that has some potential would be a trade between the two wealthiest teams in baseball: the Yankees and the Dodgers. 

After seeing their trade for Aroldis Chapman go absolutely haywire due to possible domestic violence charges, the Dodgers appear to have moved on and set their sights on Yankees closer Andrew Miller.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports believes Miller is now the top priority for a Dodgers team seeking bullpen help.

While he doesn’t throw 100 miles per hour on a regular basis like Chapman, Miller still features a dominant fastball and a nasty slider.

L.A. seems to have made it a priority to add another solid bullpen arm to go alongside Kenley Jansen, and Miller fits the bill perfectly.

The Astros were the other team with major interest in Miller, but after trading for Ken Giles, their interest in the Yankees lefty has waned. 

With a strong farm system and enough of a budget to take on incoming contracts, a deal between the Dodgers and Yankees seems highly likely. 

With spring training still almost three months away, all we can do is wonder how each offseason move will impact teams in 2016.

But if the last day of the winter meetings is anything like the first three, we’re in for a roller-coaster ride full of trades and giant contracts for players who could be leading their new teams to playoff success in 2016.

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The end of November is an interesting time in Major League Baseball, as it’s a time when rumors begin to simmer heading into the winter meetings in two weeks. 

There will also be an overabundance of rumors that are either false or useless. Hearing that teams are “willing to listen” on a random player says nothing because a general manager will take a phone call about any player, even if there’s no intention of moving that player. 

Sometimes, though, rumors come out that have merit or are at least worth discussing because it could be a sign of discontent with the player or team, or a franchise wants to move in a different direction and holds up a “for sale” sign. 

Here are the rumblings around MLB that warrant discussion, for one reason or another. 

Robinson Cano is Sleepless in Seattle

Scrolling through Twitter on Monday, the biggest baseball-related topic was John Harper of the New York Daily News speaking to a close friend of Robinson Cano’s, who said Seattle’s second baseman wants to get back to the Bronx. 

“But even if Cano has had the best intentions as a Mariner,” Harper wrote, “one long-time friend who spoke to him recently says the second baseman is not happy in Seattle, especially with a new regime in charge there now, and that he’d love to somehow find his way back to New York.”

One scenario that was bantered about on the interwebs was a trade of two bad contracts involving Cano and Jacoby Ellsbury. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports shot it down:

Cano, to his credit, took to Twitter with a workout video of him getting ready for 2016 and a Mariners hashtag at the end:

There’s also the question of why Seattle would look to deal Cano at this date, other than financial relief. He’s not a superstar anymore, but his 2015 season took a dramatic turn after the All-Star break. 

It was also revealed after the season, which Harper noted, that Cano was battling stomach and intestinal injuries that required surgery. He is 33 years old and in the back half of his career, but the six-time All-Star is still Seattle’s best pure hitter. (Nelson Cruz is a better power hitter, but he’s not hitting over .300 again.)

Seattle’s quest to become a playoff team hinges on many things, which general manager Jerry DiPoto is trying to address with acquisitions like Leonys Martin to handle center field, but a healthy Cano in 2016 will go a long way. 

Nationals Want Bullpen Upgrade

In news that will surprise no one, per ESPN’s Jayson Stark, the Washington Nationals want to upgrade their bullpen and rid themselves of Jonathan Papelbon:

Getting rid of Papelbon has felt like a foregone conclusion for the Nationals as soon as he got involved in a dugout scuffle with recently crowned National League MVP Bryce Harper. The 35-year-old had a solid 2015 season with a 2.13 ERA, 24 saves and 56 strikeouts in 63.1 innings. 

Complicating any potential trade for the Nationals is the fact that Papelbon’s value has certainly diminished because of his age and struggles after being acquired from Philadelphia (3.04 ERA, 16 strikeouts in 23.2 innings). 

Papelbon is also owed $11 million in 2016, currently tied for the second-highest salary among all MLB closers, so Washington will have to eat a lot of money to deal the right-hander. 

Aroldis Chapman is the most interesting name Stark mentioned as a potential ninth-inning replacement for Papelbon. Cincinnati’s flame-throwing lefty would certainly be an upgrade over virtually any other option, though the Reds are going to milk his market for all it’s worth. 

Heyman reported on Nov. 23 that the Los Angeles Dodgers are one of “several other teams” that have checked in on Chapman. The good news is it does seem like Cincinnati’s front office is finally serious about trading the 27-year-old. 

The bad news is a Chapman deal comes as he enters his final year of arbitration. Tim Dierkes of MLBTradeRumors.com estimates Chapman will make $12.9 million in 2016 as a result. By comparison, Boston’s Craig Kimbrel is currently MLB’s highest-paid closer with an average salary of $11.25 million.

The Nationals do have money opening up with Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister, Ian Desmond, Dan Uggla and Denard Span coming off the books. Chapman’s salary, while exorbitant for his ultimate role, would solve a need in Washington. 

The first order of business will be dealing Papelbon, who did not ingratiate himself very well after moving to the Nationals. 

Baltimore’s Offseason Agenda

The Baltimore Orioles got an answer to one of their free-agent questions when catcher Matt Wieters accepted a one-year qualifying offer, but they still have a lot of work to do this offseason. 

ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick broke down exactly what positions the Orioles need to fill or upgrade this winter:

Another key free agent the Orioles are looking to retain is Chris Davis, with ESPN’s Buster Olney reporting Baltimore owner Peter Angelos is “personally involved” in the discussions. 

The problem for Baltimore on the Davis front is he’s represented by Scott Boras, who is the master at playing the system to get his clients as much money as possible. Considering Davis had a bounce-back 2015 in which he led MLB in homers for the second time in three years, he is going to make a lot of money. 

St. Louis has already been linked to Davis by Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports, who noted the Cardinals “are poised to spend heavily in free agency this winter, thanks to revenues from their new local television contract…”

Putting Davis to the side for a moment, Crasnick did note on ESPN.com that the Orioles have “examined the market for Jay Bruce and other impact hitters.” 

Going back to the beginning of the article, “examined the market” is one of those vague terms that says nothing. Crasnick put some water on the fire by adding that teams often engage the Orioles in trades by asking for pitcher Kevin Gausman or second baseman Jonathan Schoop. 

“Duquette is hesitant to move either player because he would just be weakening one position to strengthen another,” Crasnick wrote.

Bruce is another player who seems like a good candidate to move as part of Cincinnati’s full-blown rebuild. His value has dropped precipitously since 2014 after consecutive seasons with sub-.300 on-base percentages, though the power did return in 2015 with 26 homers. 

Given that Bruce will be just 29 in April, there’s some reason to believe he can get back to his 2013 line of .262/.329/.478 with 74 extra-base hits. It’s a long shot because he’s two years removed from that, but not out of the question because of his youth. 

The Orioles have to decide how much their hole in right field is worth, both in financial terms and trade-asset-wise. This isn’t a franchise that can open its wallet to anyone, so general manager Dan Duquette‘s ability to create flexibility will be essential if Baltimore hopes to remain competitive in the AL East.

Stats per Baseball-Reference.com; Contract info per Spotrac.com.

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The St. Louis Cardinals had many good things going for them in 2015, but power was not one of them. As such, you can’t blame them for having eyes on the best power hitter money can buy.

We can, however, offer a few words of warning: Cardinals, my friends, here’s where you need to tread very, very carefully.

Amidst the flurry of mid-level trades that went down throughout Friday, Jon Morosi of Fox Sports was on to a different story. According to his sources, the Cardinals are interested in free-agent first baseman and reigning home run champion Chris Davis.

On a scale of “Whoa, didn’t see that coming” and “Duh,” this is a rumor that lands toward the latter.

It didn’t stop them from winning 100 games, but the Cardinals didn’t score many runs in 2015. Of the many reasons for that, arguably the biggest was their inability to hit for power. The Cardinals were 25th in MLB with 137 home runs, and were also in the bottom 10 of the league in isolated power.

This is not a new problem. Over the last three years, the Cardinals have ranked in the bottom five of MLB in isolated power. In this span, they haven’t had a single player top 30 home runs.

So, they could use a slugger. You know, like Davis.

Davis, late of the Baltimore Orioles, has become MLB’s Slugger King in recent years. On either side of a down season in 2014, he led MLB with 53 homers in 2013 and 47 home runs in 2015. And even with his down year mixed in, he’s still first in home runs (126) and 13th in OPS (.891) since 2013.

This would be the main justification for the Cardinals circling Davis, who will be 30 in March. Another is how his ties to draft-pick compensation would only cost the Cardinals the No. 30 pick in the 2016 draft. Another is how the Cardinals are operating with extra spending money after inking a $1 billion TV deal.

But here’s the problem: Just because a team could justify signing a player doesn’t mean that signing said player is a good idea. Reality has been known to show up and crash the party.

And with Davis and the Cardinals, that’s a real concern.

First, consider the cost it would take to sign Davis. By almost all accounts, it’s going to be massive.

FanGraphs‘ crowdsourcing project predicted Davis will sign for five years and $100 million. Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors, however, puts his price at more like $144 million over six years. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports went even higher, putting Davis’ price tag at seven years and $182 million.

Because power is very much in demand, it seems more likely that Davis will land somewhere in between Dierkes‘ and Heyman‘s projections. That is, probably somewhere in the $150-170 million range.

That’s a lot of money—especially for a team like the Cardinals, whose biggest free-agent splash remains the $120 million they gave Matt Holliday in 2010. A contract for Davis is likely going to top that by $30-50 million, which comes off as a leap even in light of the team’s new TV deal.

Granted, Holliday’s contract has worked out very well. He began it in his age-30 season in 2010, and this past season was the first in which he wasn’t worth the money. Knowing this, Holliday almost looks like a beacon of hope for Davis.

But eh, not actually. If nothing else, there’s the reality that Holliday and Davis are two completely different players.

Though Holliday is a big, strong dude who’s hit for a ton of power, he’s always been a great hitter with power rather than a great power hitter. Davis is the opposite, as he’s a big, strong dude whose power is his only elite asset. He’s at best a solid defensive first baseman. And though he takes his walks, his huge strikeout habit effectively counterbalances that. Take away his power, and there’s not much there.

Mind you, Davis’ power isn’t under imminent threat of being taken away. But it should concern the Cardinals that he’s getting up there in age with his age-30 season due up, as few things take away power like age does.

This is something that Dave Cameron of FanGraphs noted in highlighting why Davis is the biggest potential bust of this year’s free-agent class. Courtesy of SaberCoach, here’s the graph of isolated power’s aging curve that Cameron used to make his point:

According to history, power tends to start declining after a hitter’s mid-20s. Once he gets to his 30s, the decline tends to go into overdrive.

If there’s a reason for optimism for Davis, it’s that he’s a late bloomer. He’s always had tremendous raw power, but it didn’t start showing up in games consistently until a couple of years ago. And with only 883 games in his past, he doesn’t have an excess of mileage on his body. It’s because of this that yours truly doesn’t personally think Davis is as doomed as that graph suggests.

Even still, the ideal team to sign Davis is one that has safeguards in place that could help his power age well. One would be a power-friendly ballpark. Another would be the designated hitter.

Because they play in the National League, the Cardinals don’t have the latter. They don’t have the former, either. Per ESPN.com’s park factors, Busch Stadium has generally been unfriendly to power hitters. It’s quite the departure from Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which loves it some dingers.

What would make it easy to disregard all this is if Davis’ bat stood out as the one thing separating the Cardinals from being ill-equipped and very-well-equipped to continue winning huge numbers of games. If he looked like their missing link, even I would shrug and say, “Oh, screw it. Just go for it!”

But I don’t know, man. It’s hard to take that stance.

Run prevention was the Cardinals’ meal ticket in 2015, as they used a combination of pitching depth and defense to lead the league in runs allowed. But with Lance Lynn out for 2016 with Tommy John surgery and John Lackey testing the open market, pitching depth is suddenly a question mark. Elsewhere, the inevitable loss of Jason Heyward to free agency will mean a big loss for the Cardinals’ defense.

Could signing Davis make up for these shortcomings in one fell swoop? The answer is not a definitive yes. And because a huge contract for him would hinder the Cardinals’ ability to make additional moves in the short term before likely becoming an albatross in the long term, well, what’s the point?

A better approach for the Cardinals would be to take the money and spread it around. They could acquire more pitching depth and shore up their offense with several solid bats instead of one big bat.

Besides which, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak might have been on to something when he spoke of his incumbent offense having some upside going forward.

Mozeliak said this last month, via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

You look at our roster and you could argue that there are a couple players who are on the backside of their careers, but you could also argue that there are five or six who could be in that lineup and have a lot more upside. That’s what we need to sort of focus on. We do need to improve our offense. But I don’t think it’s as drastic as other people interpret it.

He may be right. The Cardinals should enjoy full seasons from breakout stars Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk, as well as a healthy Matt Adams and, hopefully, healthier versions of Holliday and Jon Jay. And at 25, Kolten Wong could be ready for his own big breakout.

Basically, our message to the Cardinals is this: As much as you may want Davis, you don’t need him.

This is assuming, of course, that the Cardinals haven’t already figured this out. Being interested in a player isn’t the same as being desperate to sign a player, and their strong track record with free agency says they know when to recognize the difference.

Now’s the time to do it again.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked.

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After a terrific rebound season in 2015, free-agent first baseman Chris Davis is in line to get a big contract this winter from teams seeking big-time power. 

Continue for updates. 

Davis Reportedly on Cardinals’ Radar

Friday, Nov. 20

According to Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports, the St. Louis Cardinals “have had discussions” with Davis’ agent Scott Boras recently. 

Morosi adds the Cardinals “are intrigued by Davis’ ability to play first base, third base, right field and left field.” The 29-year-old has primarily played first base and DH in recent years, but he did play right field more in 2015, including a 16-game streak from June 30-July 22. 

The Cardinals, who won 100 games during the regular season before getting eliminated by the Chicago Cubs in the National League Division Series, certainly understand the value of depth and versatility after key offensive players like Matt Adams and Matt Holliday missed a combined 191 games last year. 

While traditionally not big spenders in free agency, the Cardinals need to bolster an offense that finished 24th in runs scored last year and is facing the possibility of losing Jason Heyward to free agency. Morosi’s report notes the team will be willing to invest “heavily” thanks to additional revenue from a new local television deal.

Davis has his limitations as a hitter, striking out 208 times in 2015, but he hit 53 homers in 2013 and 47 in 2015 for the Baltimore Orioles. He’s a patient hitter who has posted on-base percentage totals over .360 two of the last three years. 

Power is a precious commodity in MLB with pitching and defense ruling the sport at this moment. Davis isn’t a flawless player, but at just 29 years old with two very successful seasons in the last three years, he’s got a lot of upside for teams seeking offense this winter. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

One year ago, the air around Chris Davis was purely negative. 

The one-time MVP candidate, home run champ and dominant offensive force was coming off a disappointing, subpar 2014 season and missed the final 17 games of the season after being suspended 25 games for a second positive test for unauthorized Adderall use. He was no longer an All-Star or the middle-of-the-order superstar he was the year before for the Baltimore Orioles.

Davis became a question mark in a baseball uniform, with nobody knowing how he would bounce back from the down season and embarrassing ban that caused him to miss the Orioles’ playoff appearance.

Now, Davis is a bat-wielding exclamation point looking for a new, or possibly familiar, uniform as he has re-established a strong market value coming off a resurgent 2015. Davis is again the game’s home run king and is being hailed by his agent, Scott Boras, as the best free-agent hitter at three different positions as he looks to cash in on a new multiyear contract far north of $100 million.

“Chris Davis grades out as the top free agent because he’s the top outfielder, the top first baseman and the top DH,” Boras told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. “He’s all of those. He’s three in one.”

In 2013, Davis went from good player to a bright star after he hit 53 home runs, drove in 138, had a 1.004 OPS and 168 OPS+. He struck out 199 times, but in this age of huge whiff numbers, it was hardly seen as a detriment to anything but his batting average as he still finished third in American League MVP balloting.

In 2014, much changed. Davis no longer had a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) to help him control his ADHD, and whether that was a cause or not, his production went into massive decline. He hit a respectable 26 home runs, but that total was not even half of his output the previous season. His .196 batting average was the lowest of any qualified major leaguer, his OPS dropped 300 points and his OPS+ tumbled 72 points. Then came the late-season suspension that forced Davis to miss Baltimore’s trips to the American League Division Series and Championship Series, and Opening Day of this past season.

Once Davis came back to the Orioles lineup in April, he was armed with a TUE for new ADHD medication and launched himself back onto the top tier of power hitters. He hit a major league-leading 47 homers, drove in 117, had a .923 OPS and 146 OPS+, good for 10^th highest in the majors and important for Davis in his walk year.

“I thought he was going to have this kind of year all the way back to spring training,” a scout told Crasnick. “Maybe the medicine helps him stay focused in his approach. I saw him stay on balls and hit some pitches the other way, and it kind of snowballed. He looked like he was locked back in to two years ago, when he was a monster [and hit 53 home runs].”

This past season forced Davis’ market to rebound. He became a feared hitter again, and Boras’ claim that his client should be seen as a three-way positional player is not outrageous. Davis played some right field in 2015, and while he will never be mistaken for a Gold Glove outfielder, he will get to the balls he should get to and is capable enough to not hurt his club, unlike, say, Hanley Ramirez.

“I’m not a big Scott Boras guy, but I don’t disagree with that opinion,” the scout told Crasnick. “I don’t think he’s selling you a bag of beans on this one.

“Let me put it this way: Chris Davis is not Alfonso Soriano in the outfield. If an average grade is a 50, he’s a 45. And what I say about 45s is, they don’t hurt you.”

That reality could open Davis’ market more since a team could certainly stick him in right field for the first couple of years of the deal before moving him back to first base or DH. That might be part of the reason that as many as seven teams have already been linked to Davis, who will be 30 at the start of next season.

Those clubs do not even count the New York Yankees, who could take huge advantage of the left-handed Davis in Yankee Stadium, or the Boston Red Sox, who will be without the DH services of David Ortiz after next season, or the Orioles, who have said they have the money in the coffers to re-sign their slugger.

Plus, the money to re-sign Chris Davis too https://t.co/SYseq67tCI

— Jim Duquette (@Jim_Duquette) November 15, 2015

Davis’ impact comes with the downside of his strikeouts, of which he had 208 last season and leads the majors with 749 over the past four years. However, the strikeout stigma has changed in that time, and it will not stop teams from doling out nine figures for a player projected to hit 37 home runs by Marcel and 33 by Steamer, though those projections could be low depending on where Davis plays his home games.

Based on what players like Jacoby Ellsbury and Shin-Soo Choo earn, Davis topping $100 million seems like an easy call. Michael Tampellini speculates at FanGraphs that Davis will get exactly $100 million over five years, and Tim Dierkes at MLB Trade Rumors thinks six years and $144 million is possible.

However, with true power being one of the game’s most coveted tools in an age of dominant pitching, do not be shocked if Davis tops those predictions.

All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired firsthand by Anthony Witrado. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.

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First baseman Chris Davis is starting to garner interest on the free-agent market after his one-year, $12 million contract expired at the end of the 2015 season, according to Spotrac.com. 

Continue for updates.

Davis’ Options Starting to Show

Thursday, Nov. 12

According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, the Baltimore Orioles met with Davis’ agent, Scott Boras, on Wednesday. Heyman noted “there’s still work to do there.”

But the Orioles, who have had Davis for the past five seasons, look to have some competition this offseason.    

Per Heyman, Davis has been linked with the Los Angeles Angels and the St. Louis Cardinals. 

The Angels look like they’re preparing for a busy offseason, as Heyman reported they have also shown interest in left-handed free agents Daniel Murphy, Alex Gordon and Jason Heyward. Obviously some lefty pop at the plate is a priority for Los Angeles next season.   

Of the Angels’ starters in 2015, right fielder Kole Calhoun, who hit 26 home runs and drove in 83 runs as the team’s best left-handed option, is the only one they received a solid contribution from. 

Picking up Davis and playing him at first base could keep Albert Pujols fresh as a designated hitter. Pujols recently underwent foot surgery that could sideline him for the start of the 2016 season, according to the Los Angeles Times‘ Dylan Hernandez. 

St. Louis seems like a team that needs Davis more. Despite winning 100 games last year, it received limited production from its first basemen in Mark Reynolds and Matt Adams. Last season, the two combined for a .235 batting average with 18 home runs and 72 RBI. 

While that combination isn’t terrible, it holds nothing to Davis’ 47 home runs and 117 RBI. 

But it is ultimately going to come down to the almighty dollar.

The Angels have done some serious spending over the past few years with a team payroll of $129.3 million, fourth in the majors, according to Spotrac.com. So they would have to be the front-runners if he is looking for a max deal. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Chris Davis is back in line.

The man who looked primed to take over as Major League Baseball’s home run king before being derailed by an atrocious 2014 and a drug suspension is again performing his craft as well as anyone in the sport.

Back in 2013, Davis was the kind of player franchises like his Baltimore Orioles built around.

He was 27 years old, durable and hitting the ball with close to as much authority as anyone the game had ever seen on a one-year basis. His final line that season was .286/.370/.634 with a 1.004 OPS, 53 home runs, 42 doubles and 138 RBI. He finished third in American League MVP voting behind Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout and still had two seasons before free agency, when he would be poised for a significant payday.

But 2014 was a disaster.

Davis, amid a nagging oblique injury that cost him 12 games, hit a major league worst .196 among qualifiers. His 96 OPS+ showed he was a below-average player despite his 26 home runs, and to top off everything, he was suspended 25 games for unauthorized use of Adderall. That ban kept him off the team’s playoff roster as well.

As drastic as that year-to-year swing was, this summer has brought another change—this one a tick closer to what he was in 2013. And after a big Friday night when he smacked two home runs—his second consecutive multihomer game—to take over the major league lead with 40 long balls in a 10-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, it is clear the 29-year-old Davis is back in position for a massive contract once he hits free agency after this season.

Chris Davis is now the 1st player in Orioles history to have multiple 40 HR seasons. (Also 2013, 53) #CongratsChris! pic.twitter.com/0gcIsj2FQh

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 5, 2015

Davis told Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun in August:

I think I spent so much of last season and even the offseason taking swings that I had taken last year that weren’t really the swings I was looking for. I think I was trying to protect [the oblique] and subconsciously there was a little uncertainty about letting it go. Really right around the All-Star break, I felt like I had a few at-bats where it just kind of clicked for me and I’m taking that swing that I was looking for. I’m getting that swing on a day-to-day basis.

That Davis has once again found his swing has shown in the second half. Entering Friday, he was sixth in the American League with a 1.042 OPS, 181 wRC+ and a .435 wOBA since the break. His 21 homers are the best in league since then.

But it is not just the second half. Davis, who has a therapeutic-use exemption for Adderall this year, as he had in the past before the suspension, has been a productive hitter all season. He went into Friday batting .253/.339/.538 with an .877 OPS and 136 OPS+. He also now has 100 RBI on the year.

Those aren’t quite the numbers he put up in 2013, but they are enough to get the attention of other teams in need of a big, middle-of-the-order bat. And with Scott Boras as his agent, nobody should be surprised if Davis wrangles in the kind of contract former teammate Nelson Cruz netted from the Seattle Mariners last offseason after he had a similar campaign to the one Davis is having now.

Cruz got four years and $57 million, and he turned 35 this season and had a performance-enhancing drug suspension stemming from the Biogenesis scandal in his past.

That puts it completely in the realm of possibility that Davis could get a bigger deal than Cruz’s, especially in another year when pitching is the superior, more available commodity. It would also mean the Orioles would lose the major league leader in homers in back-to-back offseasons.

Bordick said it: when he’s like this, Chris Davis is a “freak show”. On another HR binge. 2 more tonight. Free agent cash register rings.

— Mark Viviano (@MarkWJZ) September 5, 2015

There should not be much in the way of power on the free-agent market this winter, especially since the Toronto Blue Jays are likely to pick up their $10 million option on Edwin Encarnacion. Justin Upton and Yoenis Cespedes are the other big bats beyond Davis, but neither brings the kind of power the Orioles slugger does when he’s healthy.

That means Davis, who failed to come to an agreement with the club after it reportedly offered him an extension following the 2013 season, stands to be the highest-paid hitter on the market come the fall. For now, neither he nor the team will discuss any contract situations.

“That’s just the way it’s going to be,” Davis told Encina on August 13. “I think it’s selfish to sit here and talk about my future with this team when we have such a bright future for the next couple of months and I want my focus to be on the field and everybody’s focus to be on the field.”

That focus will soon change to the financial part of the game, and for Davis, the attention will be significant.

All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired firsthand by Anthony Witrado. Follow Anthony on Twitter, @awitrado, and talk baseball here.

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Fact: The Baltimore Orioles’ Chris Davis has been robbed of 3 HRs this month. No other player has been robbed of more than 1 HR all season.

Bleacher Report will be bringing sports fans the most interesting and engaging Cold Hard Fact of the day, presented by Coors Light.

Source: ESPN Stats & Info

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Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis doesn’t care much for that pesky shift. On Monday night at Camden Yards in a 4-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, he did something about it.

Facing Phillies starter Aaron Harang in the second inning, the left-handed slugger bombed a bunt past third base and got a single out of it, which is reportedly the second bunt hit of his career, per Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.

In a February interview on 105.7 The Fan (transcribed by Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com), Davis said that he was adding the bunt to his arsenal:

For me, it was just a comfort thing and I have worked on it this offseason. I’ve probably worked on it more this offseason than I have in the past. If it’s a one-run game, I’m probably not going to lay one down, but there are situations where unselfishly it’s probably the best thing to do. It’s definitely a weapon I can use against other teams.

It looks like Davis’ offseason work has paid off—although he probably didn’t practice smashing ‘em quite like he did Monday.

[Vine, h/t Busted Coverage]

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