GREAT NEWS: The New York Mets are bringing back fan favorite.
A former current York Mets fan favorite was recently DFA’d by his current team; may a reunion be in the works?
The New York Mets traded away a fan favorite a few years ago, but a reunion may be possible now that his new team has decided to put him back on the market.
J.D. Davis’ career has been turbulent, and he has never been able to achieve the heights he did with New York. On Monday, the Oakland Athletics designated him for assignment.
Davis was likewise at a career low when the Mets decided to give him a chance for the first time.
The Houston Astros selected the California native in the third round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. He spent four years in the minor levels, where he showed promise.
When he made his debut in 2017, it was evident he wasn’t prepared. They gave him another chance in 2018, but he performed much worse. In 66 games over two seasons, he hit.194/.260/.321 at the plate. It was time to make a fresh start elsewhere.
In January 2019, Houston sent Davis and Cody Bohanek to New York in exchange for Ross Adolph, Luis Santana, and Scott Manea. Davis is the only guy in that group who has appeared in the Major Leagues since the trade, thus the Mets clearly won.
The corner infielder had an immediate impact in New York, slashing.307/.369/.527 and hitting 22 home runs in his first full season in the
His 2020 performance was slightly worse than his 2019, but he rediscovered his rhythm again in 2021. He never had the same power production as he did in his rookie year, but he was still a capable hitter. His OPS did not fall below.761 people participated in all three campaigns.
However, things got a little worse in 2022. In his first 66 games, he slashed.238/.324/.359, and the Mets felt it was time to split ways.
In exchange for infielder Darin Ruf, the New York Mets transferred Davis and several pitching prospects (Carson Seymour, Nick Zwack, and Thomas Szapucki) to the San Francisco Giants.
The three pitching prospects are still in the San Francisco farm system. Ruf played in only 28 games for the Mets before getting DFA’d and subsequently released. He is presently a free agent.
Davis’ stint in San Francisco was not without controversy. After winning an arbitration battle that increased his 2024 salary to $6.9 million, he was released during spring training, losing out on a few million dollars in non-guaranteed money.
He inked a contract with Oakland a few weeks before the start of the season. His tenure there has been nothing short of terrible, with slashes of.236/.304/.366 and a number of weeks on IL.
A reunion between Davis and New York might make sense for both parties. The Mets are in need of another bench bat, especially since their current victory streak has pushed them back into playoff contention.
