Let’s be honest: we’ve all had that one financial commitment we wish we could shake. You know the kind—the gym membership you haven’t used since 2019, or the subscription to a streaming service you only watch when you accidentally open the app. For the Baltimore Orioles, that financial ghost has a name: Chris Davis.
If you’re a baseball fan, you remember the giant contract. In 2016, Davis signed a seven-year, $161 million deal, and for a hot minute, it felt like a golden ticket. But pretty quickly, that ticket turned into a soggy, old parking receipt that the machine won’t accept.
So, are the Orioles still paying Chris Davis? In a word, yes. It’s like when you split a dinner bill with a friend who ordered the lobster and then moved to another country—you’re still covering that tab years later.
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The Slow-Motion Car Crash of a Contract
Chris Davis didn’t just slump; he plummeted. After hitting 47 home runs in 2015, he dipped to 38, then 26, and then, in his final seasons, he hit under .200 like it was a secret mission.
By 2020, Davis was hitting .115. That’s not a typo. That’s the kind of average you’d expect from someone playing with a broken bat and a blindfold. The Orioles, being the sensible folks they are, designated him for assignment in 2021, but the money didn’t disappear.
Here’s the kicker: deferred money. This is the financial equivalent of finding out your ex still pays for your Netflix six years after the breakup. The Orioles structured his contract so that a huge chunk of the cash comes after he stops playing.
The Real Numbers (and They Hurt)
The Orioles are still on the hook for a massive pile of dough. According to the original deal, Davis will receive $42 million in deferred payments spread from 2023 to 2037. That’s fourteen years of getting paid to watch him play golf or maybe coach little league.
Think of it like this: If you bought a couch in 2016 and the cushions went flat by 2017, but your credit card bill keeps arriving every month. That’s the Orioles’ life right now. They’re the couple still making payments on the wedding DJ two years after the divorce.
I signed a monster $161million MLB contract but my career was cut short
In 2024, they paid him around $5.5 million just to stay home. He’ll get another $1.4 million in 2025, and smaller checks will trickle in until 2037. Yes, you read that correctly: 2037. That’s the same year the first Star Wars movie came out. (Wait, no—that was 1977. You get the point.)
Everyday Life Comparisons That Make You Cringe
This whole situation is like that time you accidentally left your credit card at a bar, and the bartender kept running a tab for three days. You’re not even there drinking, but the charges show up. The Orioles are not there winning with Davis, but the charges keep showing up.
It’s also reminiscent of your college roommate who swore they’d pay you back for that pizza. Except you’re now in your 40s, and that pizza is still technically owed. Davis’s deferred money is the pizza that’s been reheated too many times.
The funny part? The Orioles are actually good now! In 2023 and 2024, they were a surprise contender, with young stars like Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. But every time they cut a check, a little part of the front office winces, knowing it’s for a guy who last played in 2021.
What Does Chris Davis Think About All This?
We can only assume he’s got a pretty sweet gig. Imagine retiring at 35, having a 43-game home run streak in your back pocket, and still getting a paycheck for another 13 years. He’s probably sitting on a porch somewhere, sipping iced tea, and checking his bank app like, “Look, honey, the O’s sent another one.”
MLB rumors: Baltimore Orioles’ $161 million deal could stand as one of
He doesn’t have to answer emails, attend meetings, or face a fastball. He just has to exist. It’s the ultimate “I’m not even working, yet here’s money” lifestyle. We should all be so lucky—except, you know, for the whole part where you become a punchline for a franchise.
The Bottom Line (or the Bottom Dollar)
So, yes, the Orioles are still paying Chris Davis. And they’ll keep paying him until most of us have grayer hair, new careers, and possibly grandchildren. It’s a cautionary tale about long-term contracts, like that time you signed a two-year cell phone plan for a free tablet that was already obsolete.
But here’s the thing: baseball fans are weirdly romantic about this. It’s a shared joke, a financial horror story we can all nod at. Every time an Orioles fan complains about the bullpen, someone else chimes in, “Hey, don’t worry—Chris Davis is getting an extra $1.4 million in 2027.”
And honestly, it’s a little funny. Life is full of bad decisions—buying a car that breaks down, marrying a person who steals your snacks, or signing a $161 million deal to a guy who forgets how to hit. The Orioles just did it on a national stage, with a deferred payment plan that feels like a bad dad joke.
Next time you’re paying for that unused gym membership, just remember: it could be worse. You could be the Baltimore Orioles, still covering a tab that started when Hamilton was still on Broadway. Cheers to deferred payments, bad contracts, and the beautiful, messy circus of professional sports.