Glenn Davis decided to waive his no-trade clause and make himself available during Tuesday's National League expansion draft because he wanted to help the Orioles strengthen themselves.
Although Davis was out of town and unavailable for comment yesterday, representatives of both sides confirmed that an agreement had been reached, and for that reason.
A source familiar with the negotiations said Davis would be compensated only if he were drafted.
"What I can tell you is this -- for the good of the club, Glenn agreed to cooperate in an effort to help the team become stronger," said Michael Moye, an associate of Robert Fraley, who represents Davis.
"We worked on this [the settlement] for the last couple of weeks," said Moye. "There had been some reports that Glenn was being uncooperative -- but that's a crock."
General manager Roland Hemond would not comment on the Orioles' list of protected players, which was reported yesterday by the Chicago Tribune and Rocky Mountain News, along with those of the other 25 teams.
Hemond, however, did confirm that the Orioles had reached an agreement for Davis to waive the no-trade clause in his contract. Under baseball rules, players with such clauses had to be protected from the expansion draft.
"Glenn did waive his no-trade provision as a means of helping the club," said Hemond. "He was helpful in accommodating the team."
If the Orioles lose unprotected Randy Milligan, David Segui, whom the Orioles were able to protect by exposing Davis, would go to spring training with a shot at winning the starting job. Davis, whose injuries often have limited his ability to play the field, would be more of a designated hitter than first baseman.
Neither Hemond nor Moye would discuss specifics of the agreement. According to a source, five other players waived no-trade clauses -- Montreal's Tim Wallach, Pittsburgh's Bob Walk, the White Sox's Carlton Fisk and Oakland's Dave Henderson and Bob Welch.
The three players the Orioles traded for Davis -- Pete Harnisch and Steve Finley of Houston and Curt Schilling of Philadelphia -- all were protected by their clubs.
Moye would not speculate on the possibility of Davis being selected by either the Florida Marlins or the Colorado Rockies. "I'm not a prognosticator," he said. "I couldn't tell you what the chances are.
"I would say they're probably low," said Moye. "But there's a chance he could be drafted. There is a risk.
"But Glenn loves Baltimore and wants to help the team get better," said Moye. Davis, 31, has one year left on his contract, worth more than $3 million, and will be eligible for free agency at the end of next season.
Other than the exclusion of Davis, there were no surprises on the Orioles' 15-man protected list.
"You never like to lose players, but we've known all along we'd be losing some," said Hemond, who with his maneuvering was able to protect Segui and Luis Mercedes, either of whom figured to be taken in the first round. "So, you have to take a positive approach. It [the expansion draft] is intriguing.
"All of your preparation is directed toward suffering the least amount of damage," said Hemond. "We've done everything we could -- now, you just go and face the music."
Milligan, who was paid $1.05 million last year, said yesterday that he was not surprised that he was left unprotected.
"From what I've been hearing, it [the protected list] was pretty much what I expected," said Milligan, who hit only .240 last season after three productive years with the Orioles. He said the constant trade rumors, which flourished after Davis signed a two-year contract, affected him.
"After last year, hearing my name in trade rumors what seemed like every other day, I can handle this [being left unprotected]," said Milligan, one of the Orioles' most popular players. "Last year, I let myself get caught up in all of that [trade talk], but I'm not going to let that happen this year.
"I'm just going to sit back and see what happens. If one of those expansion teams wants me, then I'll be ready to go and play for them. But I've never tried to hide my desire to finish my career here in Baltimore," said Milligan, 30.
"I feel fine, physically and mentally. I'm just sitting around, waiting to see what happens."