There is a rot that's infesting the New York Mets organization at present that seems to be extending its impact towards former members of the organization. One ex-Mets player in particular, namely infielder J.D. Davis, has been experiencing low point after low point after his departure from the franchise in 2022 that he appears to be reaching the rock bottom of his big-league career. On Monday night, Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that the Oakland Athletics have designated Davis for assignment not even half a season into his stint with the team.
The Athletics sought to buy low on Davis after the San Francisco Giants cut the third baseman back in Spring Training so that they could be on the hook for just $1.1 million of what would have been his full $6.9 million salary for 2024. Davis then signed with Oakland for $2.5 million, but now, he's on the verge of either a minor league assignment or free agency if the A's couldn't find a suitable trade partner within the coming week.
Davis' bat has been his strongest suit as a player, but now, he is putting up the worst professional season of his career from the batter's box since 2018, back when he was a bench player for the Houston Astros. Now 31 years of age, there is not much upside in continuing to give at-bats to a man who's putting up a .670 OPS while providing substandard defense at the hot corner. With the Athletics being dead-last in the AL West with a 26-48 record, Davis holding onto an everyday job simply did not make sense.
JD Davis peaked with the Mets in 2019… but five years later, he's expendable
When the Mets acquired JD Davis for three minor-leaguers in 2019, it seemed as though they had unearthed a diamond in the rough. Davis was coming off a putrid 2018 with the Astros, but the Mets saw something in Davis — and their gambit paid off rather quickly. The best part is that all of the prospects the Mets gave up for Davis are yet to reach the majors.
Davis put up the best season of his career in 2019. He hit 22 home runs and drove in 57 runs, and he did so during his age-26 season, which suggested that this production could be sustainable moving forward given that he was in his physical prime. Davis, however, has been very inconsistent ever since, hitting 15 home runs as a Met during his final two and a half years with the team.
While Davis' power production came and went, he seemed like he was establishing a strong floor for himself with regards to his production. He was getting on base quite often, putting up a walk rate in the double digit mark, allowing him to maintain some semblance of value.
Nonetheless, the Mets traded JD Davis away in 2022 in exchange for Darin Ruf in an attempt to boost their lineup against left-handed pitching during their 101-win campaign. Davis was productive for the Giants. He hit 26 home runs and drove in 83 runs for San Francisco, but in a wild turn of events during the offseason, he was cut by the team despite winning in arbitration. Davis ended up being expendable due to the additions of Jorge Soler and Matt Chapman, and the Athletics picked him up.
We all know now how that turned out for the Athletics. Can Davis turn it around when he inevitably latches on to another team? Only time will tell.
Is Abraham Toro the future for the A's?
The Athletics are banking on Abraham Toro, a versatile 27-year old third baseman to hold down the fort with Davis' absence looming. Toro is sporting a .679 OPS, which is not much better than Davis' production, but his defense rates much more highly than the former Met's. It will be interesting to see which team has some room to bring in Davis, as he could, perhaps, be a useful utility option for a team in need of some power potential off the bench.
Toro is on track to put up his most plate appearances in a single season, and he looks like a much-improved player for the Athletics. Picked up in a trade this past offseason, Toro is proving himself worthy of some solid playing time even though he doesn't look like a long-term keeper given his limited upside at the plate as a third baseman.
Nonetheless, Toro has shown improvements this season, and at age 27, he could very much have plenty of room left to improve. He'll have all of third base to himself now that JD Davis is on his way out of the team.
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