More on Orioles' offer to Chris Davis and leftovers for breakfast

NASHVILLE - Breakfast for me at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center has consisted of egg sandwiches and lattes at Starbucks. I ordered egg whites and turkey bacon on the second day to give the illusion of being healthy.

Manager Buck Showalter will speak to reporters this afternoon after the annual reception and luncheon, when the beat crew dines with him at a circular table and audio, video, tweeting and other forms of social media are strictly prohibited. It's an informal get-together. The quotes come later in the workroom.

Showalter challenges us to submit our picks for the entrée every year. No one is allowed to choose chicken. I'll say some form of pasta.

But enough about me ...

Agent Scott Boras is expected to hold court with the media, which has become a Winter Meetings tradition. There's a stampede to whichever area he chooses to stop, and you better get there quick or you have no shot at hearing him. It's a bizarre scene.

An industry source told me last night that the Orioles' meeting with Boras "produced nothing positive" in relation to first baseman Chris Davis. In other words, the club's offer remains on the table, but it's not going to stay there much longer.

As I tweeted last night, it's believed that the Orioles' offer for Davis is in the neighborhood of $150 million and includes deferred money. At this point, they don't sense that another team has stepped up with a better proposal.

It's understandable that Boras wants to wait for a club to do just that, perhaps reallocating funds after failing to make another move. He's rarely in a rush and it's only Dec. 9. The man has a track record for hitting late jackpots.

It's also understandable that the Orioles are prepared to give up by the time they board their flight home and use that money in other areas. They understand that a second-tier starter won't come cheaply. And what if they want to make a serious run at Alex Gordon or Justin Upton?

Upton is a right-handed hitter and the Orioles already have plenty of them. They're trying to bring more balance to their lineup, but he's hit 82 home runs over the past three seasons and would be an impact bat. They have definite interest in him.

Adam Jones' six-year, $85.5 million contract is the largest in franchise history. There never was a doubt that keeping Davis would require them to leave it in the dust.

Now we're waiting to find out if it's left on the table. If it's removed. If this negotiation really ends poorly.

Executive vice president Dan Duquette pretty much indicated yesterday that the Orioles won't re-sign Wei-Yin Chen due to the market. He seems more inclined to trade for a starter.

One person reasoned that if the Orioles are considering a four-year deal for left-hander Scott Kazmir, they may as well bring back Chen. However, Chen could get five years.

Keep checking the trade market.

The Orioles don't seem to have enough to offer for Jose Fernandez or Chris Sale, two names that always come up on Twitter and the blog. They don't want to move Kevin Gausman and punch another hole in the rotation, and they believe the former first-round pick is going to evolve into a No. 1 starter.

Outfielder/first baseman Steve Pearce also isn't expected to be re-signed.

Duquette offered a "maybe" when I asked whether the Orioles, who appear to have moved on from Pearce, could reconsider in January or later if he remains on the market.

"The guys that played for us are free agents now, so we're not supposed to technically address that specifically under the rule," Duquette said. "We like the work that a lot of the players who are free agents did when they were with the Orioles."

I'd like to see this rule because a lot of other teams are violating it.

Veteran left-hander Craig Breslow is here trying to hook on with a club. The Orioles were linked to him last winter, but Duquette downplayed any interest yesterday.

Asked about the importance of finding another lefty reliever, Duquette replied, "We have some other priorities ahead of that."

Matt Merullo, who managed the Gulf Coast team this year and short-season Single-A Aberdeen in 2013-2014, is in Nashville in search of a job. The Orioles decided not to bring him back.

A scout from another organization who's watched Mark Trumbo in the majors and in the winter leagues insists that the first baseman/outfielder is more athletic than advertised. The scout also said that Trumbo, while not a threat to win a Gold Glove, is serviceable defensively and not as bad as his reputation suggests.

The scout said Trumbo easily will hit 25-30 home runs for the Orioles.

Former Orioles alert: I've seen Jim Hoey, Jeff Reboulet, Brian Bass and Clay Rapada at the hotel this week. None of them are making a comeback.

Jones and the Orioles charitable foundation are donating $75,000 to the Webster Kendrick Boys & Girls Club in the Dolfield neighborhood of West Baltimore.

The donation will help to renovate and expand a technology center and the Callaway Community School tech lab at the facility.

It will be the third Boys & Girls Club of Metropolitan Baltimore that the Orioles and Jones have renovated, along with the Brooklyn O'Malley Boys & Girls Club and the Westport/Winans Homes Boys & Girls Club.

"He made a donation to a Boys & Girls Club in San Diego and some people were wondering if he was going to continue his efforts in the community, and he did in partnering with the OriolesREACH foundation for the Boys & Girls Club," Duquette said. "So he continues to do his good philanthropic work in the community and work with the team, which we appreciate."