Mets acquire J.D. Davis from Astros in five-player deal
Davis has a career .194 batting average in the majors, but has shown lots of potential in the minors.
The New York Mets have acquired infielders J.D. Davis and Cody Bohanek from the Houston Astros in exchange for outfielder Ross Adolph, catcher Scott Manea and infielder Luis Santana. Both teams have announced the trade.
Yahoo’s Tim Brown was the first to mention the Mets were closing in on a deal for Davis.
Mets appear to be moving on a deal for Houston's J.D. Davis, according to sources. Davis, 25, is a corner INF and OF.
— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) January 6, 2019
Davis played in 24 games in 2017 after making his MLB debut, and his workload increased slightly in 2018, when he appeared in 42 games, slashing .175/.248/.223 with five runs batted in on 18 hits, including 10 walks and 29 strikeouts. Davis fared much better in Triple-A this past season, slashing a head-turning .342/.406/.583 with 81 runs knocked in on 114 hits over 85 games. Davis is primarily a third baseman, but has made appearances as a first-baseman, left-fielder, and right-fielder. The 2014 third-round draft selection, who is now 25 years old, has a strong chance at starting the 2019 season in the majors if he can contribute in a positive way during Spring Training.
Bohanek, 23, was drafted in the 30th round of the 2017 draft, but quickly made his way through the minors, topping out in Triple-A in 2018 while also appearing in both Single-A and High-A. Throughout those three levels last year, the infielder struggled a bit at the plate, slashing .214/.324/.293 with 38 runs batted in on just 84 hits over 120 games. He walked 49 times, while striking out 102.
Adolph, a 22-year old, is fresh out of college after New York snagged him with their 12th-round selection in the 2018 draft. Through 61 games in Low-A, he posted promising numbers, slashing .276/.348/.509 with 35 runs knocked in on 64 hits, plus 52 strikeouts and 21 walks.
Manea, 23, joined the Mets organization in 2016 and slowly began to make his way through the minors. He spent all of 2018 in Single-A, where he played in 100 games, slashing a decent .261/.368/.432 with 53 runs knocked in on 90 hits. He also walked 35 times and struck out 66.
Santana, a 19-year old, also joined the Mets in 2016, but has not been as fortunate with his journey through the minors. He spent all of 2018 in the Rookie League, where he played in just 53 games. However, he is a strong candidate to earn a promotion in 2019 after slashing .348/.446/.471 with 35 runs knocked in on 71 hits. He picked up more walks (27) than strikeouts (23), and, given that he is still a teenager, has a very promising career ahead of him.
Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen has been busy this offseason, adding guys like Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz from the Seattle Mariners, Keon Broxton from the Milwaukee Brewers, and now J.D. Davis from the Houston Astros.