The Mets are among the teams that have inquired about free agent third baseman J.D. Davis, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post (X link). Seven teams have shown interest since Davis was released by the Giants, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, who adds that the veteran infielder should sign in the next few days.
Davis’ late entry to the free agent market offers a low-cost opportunity for teams to bolster their third base depth before Opening Day. The 29 other clubs passed on the chance to assume a $6.9MM arbitration tab via waivers over the weekend. Davis is almost certainly going to sign for one year at a modest base salary, but he should find a major league deal and could get a starting job.
While his time in San Francisco ended on a contentious, unceremonious note, Davis is coming off a career-high workload. He appeared in 144 games and surpassed 500 plate appearances last season for the first time as a big leaguer. He connected on 18 homers and had a roughly league average .248/.325/.413 batting line. That’s well below the .276/.363/.457 slash which he compiled in more than 1200 trips to the plate between 2019-22.
Davis has 20-homer power and draws walks at a strong rate. He strikes out a little more often than the average hitter and has hit just under .250 in three of the last four seasons. He’s not a great defender, but public metrics were divided on his 915 2/3 innings at the hot corner last year. Defensive Runs Saved graded him well below par (-11 runs), while Statcast estimated he was four runs better than average.
Perhaps no team is more familiar with the 30-year-old than the Mets. Davis played in Queens between 2019 and the ’22 trade deadline, when New York swapped him to the Giants as part of a four-player package for Darin Ruf. The Mets haven’t gotten much out of the third base position since that point. Only the A’s had lesser offensive production there last season. Mets third basemen (primarily Brett Baty and the since-traded Eduardo Escobar) combined for a .212/.266/.324 showing.
New York’s only MLB infield acquisitions this winter have been a $2MM flier on utility player Joey Wendle and a waiver claim for Zack Short. They lost Ronny Mauricio, who might have been the starter at third, for the season when he tore his ACL in winter ball. Baty is expected to get the lion’s share of playing time as the Mets evaluate whether the former top prospect should be an everyday player in 2025 and beyond. New York is expected to take a similar look at Mark Vientos as the primary designated hitter, although he’ll also rotate through third base on occasion.
Signing Davis would raise the floor at either third base or DH and reduce the team’s reliance on both Baty and Vientos. The front office doesn’t seem to consider that an absolute must — they’ve proceeded deep into the spring without meaningfully addressing the position — but they’ve kept lines of communication open with veterans who could provide a short-term upgrade. That has been most apparent in their wait on J.D. Martinez, with whom they’re still in contact.
SNY’s Andy Martino tweets that the Mets consider Davis a better fit for the roster than Martinez because of his ability to play defense. He’d also be a lot more affordable. He received a little over $1.1MM in termination pay from the Giants and seems likely to command just a few million dollars at this stage of spring. The Mets are paying a 110% tax on spending, so a hypothetical $3MM salary for Davis would cost them around $6.3MM overall. He has over five years of major league service, so he’d return to the open market next winter assuming he signs a one-year contract.
I’d expect J.D. to have a new agent by the time he signs elsewhere.
Absolutely, he failed him.
Yep. He filed and won for $400k. Would have been fully guaranteed if he just agreed to the $6.5M.
The first engagement his agent said the offer better start with a 7. Jd only has himself to blame for hiring that fool.
If what you’re saying is true, why would any player ever go to arbitration? I’m sure that no one expected this outcome. It’s also possible that JD made the decision.
Why? He will end up making more money when things are all done.
As a Giants fan that watched him all last year, whoever signs JD will get a solid third baseman and bat.
How is he going to make more money? Any team could have had him for his SF salary. Is he going to get a $6m offer from another team to supplement the $1.1m that SF is paying to release him?
I’d think this is a reunion that makes a lot of sense. He will be cheaper than getting a JDM, and can help at a position of need, too.
Can’t compare one of the best power hitters of his generation to an average hitter who plays mediocre defense. Depends on need and willingness to pay the salary and tax bill.
I’m not really, just going by the Mets current interests/needs and what they’ve said in terms of how they view this season. JDM seems not so needed here.
@ Salzilla – correct, JDM is a starter and so bumps Vientos into a bench, short side of 3B guy. That’s not what the Mets want, they want an insurance plan in case hopefully one of them don’t perform. So JDD can come in as a backup and feel pretty likely to get his PT, but in a perfect world Baty and Vientos take off. Long season to not have a backup plan for either position.
Blue Jays make too much sense, so they probably won’t get it done
They should sign JD and DFA Espinal. No one will take him at his salary.
They should dfa espinal even if they don’t sign JD. Vogelbach, Votto, Schneider and Clement are all better bench options
Yea they could use JD at 3b and maybe even in LF when a tougher LHP is playing. Sign him to a 2 year 14M contract with an opt out after 1. He makes 4 year 1 and 10 the next year. They then trade espinal and that would certainly make up some of the lost power this off season. I looked into his LH/RH pitching splits and their basically identical wrc+ wise: JD has been above average in ops+ and wrc+ in all but 1 season and his rookie season. The jays could actually afford to trade a BP arm aswell. Maybe trade a BP arm and espinal for a ok prospect. Just spitballing here and thinking of different ways this could work. That IKF signing really miffed them lol. l have a feeling Jay will be playing a lot more in the field then we think no is a ok SS at best and poor to the 3b side good-great to the 2b side so it’s not ideal to have a poor D 3b on Bo’s side he’s better with a more poor 2b I can’t help but feel like something else is coming.
WITF would they want to pay him that much at this point?
JD Davis is not enough of a difference maker to dislodge anyone from third base. I don’t see where Davis is a fit anywhere.
That’s what got him into the position.
When Kiner Falefa is the first option, then JD Davis is definitely enough of a difference maker
Comments like that truly earn your name.
JD Davis struck out like 150 times in around 475 at-bats last season. That’s is suboptimal. He’s a net negative on defense. Has a slash of .248/.325/.413
That’s not very inspiring!!! And I don’t it will move the needle enough to make it worthwhile for the Jays.
@son. Davis had more homers and almost 20 more RBIs than Chapman last season in a pitcher friendly home park. Chapman was absolutely atrocious with the bat outside of 1 month.
What does Chapman have to do with Davis? And since you’re going there, Chapman is known for his exceptional defense. I’ve seen little leaguers handle the hot corner better than Davis.
I would think JDD would be playing with a bit of vinegar…. Vengeance can be sweet. Now would be a good time to give him Chapman’s locker space….
Wish nothing but the best for JD I hope someone pays him close to what he was asking for
I’m more interested in how Zaidi was able to pull this one off. Is this the first time a team has cut a player before opening day after losing an arb hearing?
Matt Hannaford probably has Farhan’s picture on his dart board after this move.
“Zaidi was able to pull this off”…It’s nothing special really, it happens all the time but it usually doesn’t make much news. If anything failed JD, it was his agent and a player’s Union that agrees to these kind of rules and ignores most of their member’s needs, to bend over backwards and make sure Max Scherzer & Justin Verlander get their huge life altering contracts.
You have it b a bit backwards. I’m not a union lover, generally speaking. but the most recent CBA negotiations focused mostly on changes to benefit the younger, lower-paid players. Arbitration awards were never been guaranteed at all under previous CBA’s. The latest CBA now guarantees salaries for those arb-eligible players who settle before going to arb. But not for those who actually go to a hearing. So its a step forward, even if its not everything. It better protects those lesser-established players in the $1-4million range who have not yet made the multi-million dollar deals for 2 or 3 years.
This is a very solid reply. MLBPA has done better recently for the younger player after a long time servicing the top=tier free agents (and their agents).
@Geofft…”It better protects”…It didn’t seem to “protect” JD Davis or we wouldn’t be having this conversation now would we?….It’s always the general union members(non superstars)that come up short, while the top 10% of players consume 40% of payrolls and always seem to have their rights protected.
@ mlb fan Cherry-picking three words out of context… Read the full sentence again:
“It better protects those lesser-established players in the $1-4million range who have not yet made the multi-million dollar deals for 2 or 3 years.”
Davis did not fall into that category. but the clause does offer some protection to some players who are not in the top 10%. As for whether or not it protected JD Davis, that remains t be seen, pending the possible grievance.
@ Stros back baby Not the first time at all.Its is farily rare, and i don’t know of it ever being used on anyone as established as Davis But arbitration awards were never been guaranteed at all under previous CBA’s. The most recent CBA now guarantees salaries for those arb-eligible players who settle before going to arb. But not for those who actually go to a hearing.
I think JD Davis will win his eventually filed grievance against the SF Giants given the standard set under the CBO. Basically, the CBO doesn’t allow for releasing a player without paying the full year merely because a team signs a better player. It allows for a team to release a player who wins an arbitration and then proceeds to play poorly prior to being released. If the stats I looked at are correct (feel free to correct me) then JD Davis during spring training was batting .400 (.471 OBP), which seems pretty darn good. I am kinda at a loss at how the Giants are going to show that JD Davis somehow suddenly stunk.
He has no shot with a grievance. They’d have to demonstrate he’s qualified to displace Flores Chapman or Soler and that simply will not happen. Also go take a look at how many MLBPA grievances have been successful it’s almost never. That language is perfectly vague enough only to protect guys who get injured and that’s about it.
If the Mets get him, I can see them paying 5 million since JD Martinez is probably much more expensive so he would be a cheaper pivot.
Same. I pulled hard for JD. Wanted 3B and worked hard at getting it. Enjoyed following him. In retrospect, the second half cost him. Hope he lands, hits and gets a FA payday.
He gets $1.1M in termination pay so he only needs to sign for $5.8M for it to be even. I think he’d get close to that.
Failing to land, J D Davis, Mets can always try for Darrin Ruf !!
Mets also interested in learning why they traded him for Darin Ruf
This sounds like a mystical journey.
Davis and 3 pitchers – who are still in the Giants organization.
Platoon Davis and Baty, a la Charles and Garrett, and use Vientos as trade bait or have him play first base exclusively at Syracuse and get him ready to replace Alonso if you trade Pete in the middle of a lost season ( if that happens). It certainly seems that.Vientos isn’t as good a third baseman as even Davis at this point, so it doesn’t seem like his landing spot in the big leagues. Chill the pressure on Baty hitting against lefties by starting Davis. Let Davis take DH at bats against righties when Baty starts, since Davis’s same side platoon numbers aren’t horrible.
Signing JD Davis should be a no-brainer at this point. It fits exactly with everything the Mets are trying to do, both competitively and budgetarily.
But sending Vientos to Syracuse seems too pessimistic, IMO. Who DH’s when Davis is playing 3B against lefties?
Tyrone Taylor. You will have Nimmo, Bader and Marte across the grass against a lefty. My point is that if they like Vientos bat, then there is no need to get JD Davis. But if they like Davis, then Vientos needs to learn a position and that position is not third base, it is first base. Vientos’s footwork at third needs a lot of work, and his glove is suspect. His position really should be first, and in that regard, he is not moving Alonso off. JD does satisfactorily field third, and would be ok at first if needed. Yes, Vientos will get better with the bat, but I really believe he weakens the defense.
I think Tyrone Taylor will see a lot more time in the OF than people are expecting. When he isn’t starting, he will be on the bench as a late inning PH, PR, and defensive replacement.
The need to get Davis is that Baty is still not hitting anyone, even in spring training. He’s not even making good contact. And he is even more ineffective against lefties. There is the very real possibility that Baty just isn’t ready and needs more time on the bench and/or AAA.
There are over 1300 PAs available between 3B an DH to split between the three of them. That is more than enough to satisfy individual playing time needs, while also giving the club more offensive punch, and better ‘D’ at 3rd when Baty [has to] sit against lefties.
Jd isn’t really a platoon player, his splits are very close to equal. People forget he was talked about as an all star in the first half. He improved his defense tremendously last year. I firmly believe he had an injury he failed to disclose, that’s why he was awful in the second half
Until Jeff O’Neil actually plays, the Mets have either Joey Wendle or Zach Short at 2B (because nobody expects them to put Acuña there yet, or to use a 50-man spot on Jett Williams in March).
So sign JD, and give Baty/Vientos 2-3 weeks of regular season action (limiting JD to occasionally DH/1B)..if the kids succeed, Uncle Steve eats the money. When one of them falters, JJD gets his playing time.
*40, not 50 and o LY one J in JD, of course.
And McNeil not O’Neil.
Come to Seattle JDD…
they’ll either sign JD or they’ll sign JD.
That’s a bunch of crap If there were 7 teams interested in him one of them would have put in a claim for him. 7 teams according to his agent more likely.
@ Unclemike1526 That is completely untrue. Its standard procedure for teams to not to claim payers in this situation. If they claim him, they take on that $6.9M salary. If they wait for SF to release him, SF remains responsible for at least part of his salary. And its not just about the dollars itself: it affects CBT/tax calculations.
No you’re wrong . They said if they released him they don’t have to pay him so he’s a FA. Until the grievance anyway. All it would of cost is the waiver transaction. Or if they waived him they don’t have to pay him. Either way the Gints say thy don’t have to pay him.
@ Unclemike1526 Okay, I’ll go slower since you don’t seem to read very well.: if a team had claimed him BEFORE the release, that team would have had to pay JD all of that $6.9 million. The Giants only released him TODAY… NOW that he has been released, the teams are off the hook. That is why those other teams that did not claim him.
Its not completely untrue. If a team wants him reasonably badly they could have claimed him for $6.9M. Sure once he passed through waivers he could probably be had for less, but you are also fighting against other teams to sign him. Teams have worse players making much more so $6.9 is probably about his worth for a team that needs him.
So Geo, In what part of YOUR brain does the team that doesn’t have to pay him and puts him on waivers, But the team that CLAIMS him is then on the hook for that money all of the sudden? Bet you were a pound the square block in the round hole guy in kindergarten weren’t you? Unreal
You don’t seem to get it:
Waivers, and release are two different things. WAIVERS comes before RELEASE.
WAIVERS comes first. He cannot be released without first clearing waivers. IF a team claims him, they are taking on that $6.9 million commitment.
It is only AFTER the waiver process that the player can be released.
So AFTER no one claimed him and the Giants release him, THAT is when teams are off the hook.
And THAT is exactly why no one claimed him.
Giants are still on the hook for 1.1 mill so he hopes to get a new team to pay him 5.8mill to match what he THOUGHT he was gonna get =6.9mill
7 teams if you count the Seoul Cabbage Patch Dolls.
Stupid bastages Giants -I hope JD has a kick ass season & career for the NY Mets.
“Stupid bastages Giants”..Blame the MLBPA who agrees to rules that favor these kind of outcomes. MLBPA is so worried about getting the top 5%-10% of players their money, they often forget about the needs of the other 90% of the union who make up the overwhelming majority of MLB.
Could be nice insurance for the D-Backs.
Mets intent on signing a J.D., some J.D.
His total pay for the year will not be near 7 million. Lucky now for 6. The lawsuit for damages will provide the rest of the balance.
Huh? There’s no lawsuit bruh
Ha ha. The lawsuit. I suppose ignorance is bliss.
Can he take Coles spot in the rotation for the Yankees?
The Angels make a perfect sense. Rendon could get hurt at any moment.
lol- Rendon…lets talk about a roster cancer & team speed bump.
We’ve seen JD Davis in Queens. Ehh. JD Martinez, All Star, proven run producer would cause some excitement and hope for Met fans. Plus he helps protect Alonso.
He’s better than Wisdom or Madrigal go get him Cubs
JD wore down late last season. I think he’s prepared for the long season this year. Hopefully he finds a starting job. Thanks JD and good luck.
Wherever he goes he is signing for 1 year why won’t he go with a team with a better chance of winning than the Mets? Mets are a very dark horse to win in 2024; if he goes to New York he most likely is traded again at the deadline.
Why not go to a more winner likely team sign for what he can and let the players association file a grievance on his behalf for the difference. A good showing with a play off team could be worth more in free agency than another team
I’d expect the Cubs to at least give him a call. Third base is their weak spot with some combo or Wisdom, Madrigal, Morel probably isn’t the answer for the entire season.
The cardinals could definitely use him!!! I heard they were one of the 7 teams after him
JD Davis would be a decent fit for the Mets at DH and on occasion, 3B. His production last year dwarfs pretty much anything the Mets have gotten from similar 3B/DH types.
Could be a fit in Milwaukee, Philly or Pittsburgh, too.
“Davis has 20-homer power and draws walks at a strong rate.”
—-
The first half is true, but not sure I’d term his walk rate as strong.