Jim Duquette feels Mark Trumbo addition does not end O's pursuit of Chris Davis

The Orioles' trade for first baseman/outfielder Mark Trumbo is a good backup plan in case the club does not re-sign Chris Davis. But it is not necessarily a big indication that the Orioles are concerned that they can't or won't sign Davis.

That is the take of former Orioles and Mets executive Jim Duquette. Duquette is now an analyst for MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM Radio. He is also seen on MASN's "The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report."

"I do think it is going to be uncomfortable, the negotiations for Davis," Duquette said. "Whenever you are going into a negotiation with Scott Boras, you have to think getting the player is only 50-50. That is where Trumbo helps you.

"I think he will be an addition to Davis, but he also will give you protection in case they get outbid or Davis decides on a different spot because the agent directs him somewhere. While this guy will not replace Davis, he is a credible 30-homer bat.

"This guy has been a talented player who played in two pitcher's parks in L.A. and Seattle, and he still put up some big numbers in those parks. He's capable of even better numbers in Camden Yards, and right-handed power is hard to come by. He strikes out a lot, yes, but in the Orioles lineup, with protection, this guy could be a force."

Meanwhile, Duquette sees the O's still very much in the hunt for Davis, along with a few other teams.

"I think the Orioles are for sure," Duquette said. "St. Louis, if they are going to spend that kind of money, I think they would go for Jason Heyward. But I think Davis is their next option. The Angels are another team that needs offense. They could put Davis in the outfield until it's time for (Albert) Pujols to be a full-time DH. And Detroit is the other team that scares me honestly with Davis. They've done deals in the past with Boras and they are going to spend a ton of money. I wouldn't be surprised if their payroll wasn't pushing $200 million. Davis could play left for them or right for them."

Duquette sees Davis getting the monster contract that most predict for him.

"Boras is marketing him as one of the top free agents on the marketplace. No one has the power that he does," Duquette said. "He doesn't have the hit tool like Heyward, (Justin) Upton or (Yoenis) Cespedes, but he is one of the true power hitters in the game. I predicted it would be $140 million and would not be surprised if it is close to that."

As for a timetable for a Davis signing, no one seems to have any true sense of that, but now that the Orioles have Trumbo, they at least have a Plan B at first base.

"Normally he (Boras) has guys that take a while," Duquette said. "Jayson Werth was an exception. The Nationals gave him so much more than anyone anticipated and he signed that Sunday at the Winter Meetings. That is more the exception with Scott, who usually takes guys deep into the winter. That is why Trumbo is important and an option already in place. They could have waited all winter on Davis and then not gotten him. You can afford now to be patient with Davis because they have Trumbo."

Trumbo's addition could also further provide the O's an option to take the expected dollars that Davis would get this year and instead spread that over two or more players.

"They could absolutely look at that," Duquette said. "If they signed say two pitchers, that could be the way they go. If they go two pitchers, Trumbo and a lesser offensive player, that is a pretty well-rounded team there. They could absolutely do that and I wouldn't argue that they wouldn't be better off depending on the pitchers they get. There are plenty of options. There is still a lot of pitching out there. If you are willing to be patient, you can get a few good ones."

Trumbo, 29, batted .262/.310/.449 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs in 142 games between the Mariners (96 games) and the Diamondbacks (46 games) in 2015, including a .302/.358/.490 slash line over his final 74 games. Since 2011, Trumbo ranks 14th in the majors with 131 home runs.

Trumbo's defense is considered sub-par, and I asked Duquette his take.

"He's better at first than the outfield," he said. "He is kind of slow-footed and not ideal in the outfield, but he catches what he gets to. He's a below-average fielder, but I think he will be better than people think, put it that way. At Camden, he could almost play right field. It is a little easier there. He could play right at home and left on the road, plus first and DH. In the end, I would not be surprised that he ends up as the primary DH."