After months of waiting, Orioles fans finally have the answer to their biggest question: would Chris Davis continue to play in Baltimore? The answer is yes, but at a huge price. Early on Jan. 16, it was reported that Davis re-signed with the Orioles for $161 million over seven years, which makes it the largest contract in franchise history, almost doubling that of Adam Jones, who previously had the largest contract. Spread over seven years, his contract would raise the Orioles' 2016 payroll to about $140 million, breaking another franchise record which was most recently set last season (payroll was $118 million last season). Now Orioles fans, like myself, have another lingering question: is he worth it?

After having a seven-year contract worth $150 million removed from the table in December, it seemed that Davis was a lost cause. The Orioles had previously signed outfielder/first baseman Mark Trumbo, who has been described as a poor man's Chris Davis. Many believed that Trumbo would replace Davis at first base when it was rumored that the Orioles had given offers to outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to fill the gaps in the Orioles' weak corner outfield. Now we know we have Davis, but our corner outfield still lacks good fielders. Although Trumbo and Davis are both able to play rightfield, Buck Showalter values defense, and it is unlikely that any of them will be regular right fielders. Davis will probably be the regular first baseman and Trumbo will fill the role of designated hitter. Recently signed Korean free-agent, Hyun-soo Kim, is slated to man left field, but like Trumbo, he is known for his offensive, not defensive, skills. The Orioles could save money and develop a right fielder within the organization (Nolan Reimold and Dariel Alvarez are options), but judging by their major league production last season, that may be a bust. The Orioles may be better off finding a new right fielder, but they have a problem: they need pitching.

Although the Orioles were able to retain Chris Davis as well as Matt Wieters and Darren O'Day, they have lost out on Wei-Yin Chen and Gerardo Parra. Parra was a late season acquisition who did not live up to expectations, but Wei-Yin Chen was the most consistent starter last season and the only left hander in the rotation. However, Chen was still too pricey for his actual worth. Although he was the most consistent starter, that isn't saying much in a very inconsistent rotation, and when it comes to his throwing arm, that also isn't a huge loss. Dan Duquette, vice president of baseball operations, believes in pitchers who can produce, and he doesn't care which arm the use. Chen may not be a huge loss, but with Davis' contract, the Orioles don't have much to work with.

So was Davis worth the money? On the plus side of re-signing, the Orioles do not have to work to fill the large gap he would leave at first base and in the lineup. Chris Davis adds power to an already powerful lineup. Adam Jones, Mark Trumbo, J.J. Hardy, and Manny Machado have all hit 30 home runs in past seasons, and Jonathan Schoop has the potential. Davis led the league in home runs in two of the last three seasons, has had 126 home runs in the past three seasons (most of any current player), and is one of five players who has hit at least 25 home runs in the past four seasons. He is also a solid defender, whose skills at first base are often overshadowed by the power behind his bat. Chris Davis is also a staple of the Orioles' organization. ESPN analyst Tim Kurkjian stated that one of the factors that brought Davis back was that he loved playing in Baltimore, and Orioles fans reciprocated the love. Davis' contributions to the team, clubhouse and off-the-field presence have made him a fan favorite.

However, Chris Davis is just as good at striking out as he is at hitting home runs. Since becoming a regular starter in 2012, Davis has averaged 40 home runs and 187 strikeouts per season. Last season, Davis led the league in home runs with 47, but also had 208 strikeouts. This marked the third time in major league history that a player had at least 40 home runs and 200 strikeouts (Adam Dunn and Mark Reynolds did it in 2012 and 2009, respectively). Davis has the most home runs in the past three years, but he also has the most strikeouts with a total of 580. He is also not as consistent as could be desired. In 2014, Davis had a .196 batting average with 26 home runs. To top off a bad season, he was suspended 25 games for a PEDs violation.

In my opinion, Davis may not be worth the size of his contract, but the Orioles needed him to remain playoff contenders. The hole Davis would leave at first base and in the lineup would be too large for the Orioles to fill, and they had made that mistake before. The holes Nick Markakis and Nelson Cruz left last season were noticeable and were one of the major reasons for the disappointing season. Davis' retention gives me hope that the Orioles will be able to compete above a .500 record. Duquette and Showalter are confident that they can find cheaper players to play right field or pitch, or even better, they could use the farm system. The re-signing of Davis is a risk for the Orioles, but it was a risk they needed to take.