Davis valued, but new deal can wait
thing done. I think he wants to remain with us. He’s been open about that. But he is coming back (in 2019). So there’s still time to be able to get that done.”
Is there much urgency to do anything beyond 2019 for Oakland? Perhaps not: The A’s are more than likely to make Davis a qualifying offer after the coming season, which will be worth about $18.5 million. He’d almost assuredly accept. That means that Oakland, in essence, already has Davis in the fold for the next two years for about $35 million.
Because that’s the case, why even worry about a multiyear deal? Well, one American League executive said Wednesday, it might be prudent: By tacking on another year or two at the end of the deal, Oakland might be able to reduce the average annual salary, say, just as an example, by offering three years at $42 million or four years at $48 million. According to a source, the number of years is far more important to Davis than the annual value of the contract.
Plus, the market for power hitters is a strange one, even though the game is moving ever more toward homers and strikeouts — essentially Davis in a nutshell. In the past two winters, power hitters such as Chris Carter and Jose Bautista found little interest, and even Edwin Encarnacion and J.D. Martinez signed for far less than projected. The game is moving toward younger players, and big deals are drying up for players older than 32. Davis will be 33 going into the 2022 season, so it might be wise for him to add as many years as possible to his current contract.
Davis’ 48 homers in 2018 led the majors, five more than Martinez, the runner-up, hit. Davis also drove in a careerhigh 123 runs while serving as the primary DH for the first time in his career. Weirdly, he hit .247 for the fourth consecutive year; he’d already been the first player in big-league history with the same batting average three seasons in a row.
He’s popular in the Oakland clubhouse, too, taking on something of a leadership role on the young team. But the main thing is: Over the past three years, Davis’ 133 homers lead all major-league players, with Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton trailing him by nine. And Davis is the first A’s player since Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx (1932-34) to hit 40 or more homers and drive in at least 100 runs in three consecutive seasons.
The A’s know Davis’ value.
“It continues to be an ongoing conversation,” said A’s general manager David Forst, who called Davis “a huge priority.” “Khris is going to be here in 2019, no matter what, so the sense of urgency right now is making sure we build the rest of the roster.”