Questions loom, expectation builds before FanFest today

With their roster still in flux and several weighty decisions looming, the Orioles will host their annual FanFest today at the Baltimore Convention Center in what often is both a celebration of Orioles baseball and a fairly accurate barometer of what fans expect from the club.

The event runs from11a.m. to 6 p.m. and will feature question-and-answer sessions, autograph stations, clinics and exhibits.

Most current Orioles players and staff will be there, though as of Friday night, a team spokesman could not confirm whether third baseman Manny Machado (personal commitment) and reliever Darren O’Day, whose re-signing had yet to be announced, would attend.

Orioles closer Zach Britton was scheduled to attend, but he was caught in a snowstorm in Nevada and was unable to make his flight. The club is hoping to do something interactive with Britton to allow him to communicate with fans at the event. As of late Friday night, Vance Worley was expected to take Britton’s spot during his autograph session.

Newly acquired Orioles Mark Trumbo and L.J. Hoes were excused because of previous engagements agreed to before they joined the team. Pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez will miss the event because he is getting married.

The biggest storyline with players and fans likely will be slugger Chris Davis, and whether the club is prepared to ratchet up negotiations beyond its seven-year, $150 million offer.

Executive vice president Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter will address fans during question-and-answer periods throughout the day, and Davis’ situation is sure to come up — as will the Orioles’ need

What to know

Where:

When: to improve a rotation that had the second-worst ERA among starters in the American League in 2015.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for children 14 and under and for adults 60 and over, and will be available at the Convention Center and the Orioles’ box office at Camden Yards.

Fans getting downtown via Interstate 395 should take note that northbound to Howard Street will be closed all day today. Traffic on northbound I-395 will be directed to the exit ramp for Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, which includes the exit ramp to access Camden Yards’ lots B and C.

Those traveling northbound on I-95 also can use Exit 52 (Russell Street) to enter downtown.

O’Day contract details

O’Day’s new backloaded, four-year, $31 million contract with the Orioles contains $4 million in deferred money and a no-trade clause that allows him to block deals to seven teams each year.

According to an industry source, O’Day, 33, will make $5 million in 2016, $6 million in 2017, $8 million in 2018, $8 million in 2019 and $1 million in each of the four years after the contract expires (2020-23).