Are the Baltimore Orioles about to trade Chris Davis?

Awhile back I wrote about the possibility of the Baltimore Orioles having to either trade Matt Wieters or first baseman Chris Davis. At the time I thought that Wieters might be more likely to go since I felt that the organization was deeper at catcher than at first base. However earlier this week some rumors started coming out to the effect that the Miami Marlins had inquired about the availability of Davis. So,,,is this something that the Orioles are considering?

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First off, teams ask about the availability of players all the time. So that in and of itself is nothing to be alarmed about. Heck, teams still ask Dan Duquette routinely about Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, and even Manny Machado. You’ll remember that a few years back Detroit had all but penciled in J.J. Hardy as it’s starting shortstop, and had all but told pitcher Rick Porcello to start looking for a real estate agent in Maryland. The problem of course was that the O’s weren’t selling.

Even with his 25-game suspension (one game of which is still in play), one would expect a guy like Davis to yield a sizable return. According to Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun, one name that’s out there from the Orioles’ side is southpaw Andrew Heaney, He was drafted by the Marlins in the first round of the 2012 draft after attending Oklahoma State University. He surged through Miami’s minor league system, and made his big league debut this past June. His career in the big leagues is a bit spotty, with an 0-3 record and a 5.83 ERA.

Let me be frank; if a trade went down that involved Davis and Headley, I think the Orioles would be getting the better end of the deal. Granted that’s easy to say now, and the fact is that Davis would be tough to part with. However work with me here for a moment; Davis made $10 million plus this past season, and is of course elligible for arbitration again this season. However more importantly, he’ll also be a free agent after 2015. Switching back to Heaney for a moment, he’s under team control

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through 2021, and is considered one of the game’s decent young arms.

As I said, Davis would be a tough guy for the Orioles to let go. With the exception of the suspension, he’s done nothing but good for this organization. However going back to what I’ve said on this topic previously, I suspect that it’s either Davis or Wieters who might end up getting traded. While Davis is a plus first baseman, I think that Wieters is a better catcher (than Davis is a first baseman). Given Buck Showalter’s emphasis on defense, maybe it is Wieters who stays.

Again I’ve maintained that the best-case scenario all-around is that both players stay in Baltimore with long-term contracts. Having said that, Heaney could also be just the type of young power arm for which the Orioles are looking. If they’re able to get a guy like him in return, I would say it’s worth considering. But that’s up to Dan Duquette – bearing in mind that there are always risks and potentially unforeseen ripple affects in trading away a player. However needless to say, Duquette’s built up enough equity with the fans to where that might not be a problem.