Chris Davis returning to Orioles on franchise-record $161 million deal

The price of power became a little bit clearer on Saturday, with slugger Chris Davis reportedly agreeing to return to the Baltimore Orioles on a club-record seven-year, $161 million deal, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. The deal comes with a full no-trade clause.

The completion of the deal is pending a physical exam.

The highest contract Baltimore had given out before this was the $85 million, six-year deal with outfielder Adam Jones in 2012, according to CSN Mid-Atlantic’s Rich Dubroff.

Davis hit .262/.361/.562 with 47 home runs and 117 RBI for the Baltimore Orioles in 2015, and led the major leagues in home runs for the second time in three seasons. He also slugged 53 home runs for Baltimore in 2013.

Our own Grant Brisbee rated Davis as the 10th-best free agent in baseball this offseason.

Davis was in talks to return to the Orioles at various points this offseason, with Baltimore making an offer as high as seven years and $154 million to retain their first baseman at one point, per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. But Orioles general manager Dan Duquette told reporters on Dec. 12 that the club’s offer to Davis was off the table as Baltimore pursued other options on the market, including most recently Yoenis Cespedes.

Over the last four seasons Davis has hit 159 home runs, eight more than anyone else in baseball (Edwin Encarnacion of the Toronto Blue Jays is second with 151 dingers, the only other player with more than 135 home runs during that span), while hitting .256/.342/.533 for Baltimore.

His 53 home runs in 2013 set an Orioles record, and he owns two of the top four home runs seasons in franchise history.

Davis was also suspended 25 games at the end of the 2014 season for testing positive for an amphetamine, a discipline that carried over into 2015, causing him to miss Opening Day.