Notes on Chen, Davis and the spring training schedule

As the free agent market opened for business following the World Series, left-hander Wei-Yin Chen was projected by various outlets to land a contract covering a minimum of four years. The Orioles never were considered serious players for him, in large part because they figured he could squeeze a fifth year out of a team.

I've heard that Chen's representative, Scott Boras, is seeking a five-year contract totaling $100 million.

Check some of the other deals for starting pitchers this winter and Chen's aim no longer seems so outrageously high. And I'm not referring only to the top-tier arms. Work your way down.

The Orioles would like to keep Chen, but they're just not going to shell out that much money for him. They'll have to settle for him being a nice bargain over the past four seasons while wishing him the best of luck in the coming seasons.

Yes, I know that "seeking" such a deal isn't the same as securing one, but his price would have to drop considerably for the Orioles to make a run at him.

There are no Chris Davis updates at this time. However, I'm reminded again that the Orioles haven't given up on him. That's what I keep hearing from sources inside and outside of the organization.

Offer on the table, offer off the table. It really doesn't matter as long as the Orioles still have enough money to spend, and as I wrote this morning, Hyun-soo Kim's deal hasn't punched a huge hole in the budget.

The Orioles made two changes to their spring training schedule. They're now committed to traveling to Fort Myers on March 28 to play the Red Sox at 1:05 p.m., and they're hosting the Tigers on March 30 at 6:05 p.m. at Ed Smith Stadium.

The early schedule had the Orioles traveling to Clearwater on March 28 to play the Phillies and hosting the Blue Jays on March 30. They didn't have any games against the Tigers until today's changes were announced.

The Orioles' first exhibition game is March 1 versus the Braves in Orlando. They're in Sarasota the following day against the Braves at 1:05 p.m.