Before anyone bemoans the departure of free agent Wei-Yin Chen as another example of the Orioles' unwillingness to spend big money to build a championship team, consider this:
The Miami Marlins not only gave Chen more guaranteed money (a reported $80 million) than the O's have ever imagined giving a free-agent pitcher, but they also gave him a sixth-year vesting option worth another $16 million and a two-year opt-out clause that dynamically shifts the risk/reward ratio in favor of the player.
That may be an example of the otherworldly negotiating skills of agent Scott Boras, but it would have been borderline irresponsible for the Orioles to extend an offer similar to that with a $150 million offer still dangling in front of slugger Chris Davis.