MMO Trade or Hold: J.D. Davis

Throughout this winter, the MMO staff will be discussing whether various players on the New York Mets’ roster should remain with the club for 2022 or get traded elsewhere. After first discussing whether Edwin Díaz and Dominic Smith should stick around next season, the conversation turns to J.D. Davis.

Dilip Sridhar Says: Hold J.D. Davis 

I would like to make my position clear. I do not think Davis is a strong hold candidate and I am not vehemently arguing for the Mets to keep him. I think his spot could be better used elsewhere. He is a bat-first positionless player who is already looking like he will be relegated to bench duties. I do see the logic if the Mets wanted to keep J.D., though.

Despite all the injuries last season, Davis hit .285/.384/.436 with a 130 wRC+. That included a hand injury that ultimately required surgery. I think asking Mark Vientos to come up to the majors and provide that slash line is very ambitious at this point. The Mets also need to weigh whether Davis is a sunk cost or someone they would be selling low on. Davis potentially raking as the right-handed platoon option when the DH comes up is not a bad option.

As we also saw with the 2021 Mets, injuries happen. When it comes to all New York’s options of “guys who cannot play a position but will be around” and “2021 Mets who bottomed out,” I could make the case that Davis likely has the best or second-best chance at bouncing back. I really do want to emphasize that I would have no problems if the Mets decided to deal Davis for bullpen help. I just want to say that I see the logic in keeping him as a bat off the bench and as a platoon option.

If this were a team that was on a budget, I would say dealing Davis and saving money on his salary would be a smart move, but the Mets are clearly not in that spot. The Mets are looking at a payroll of roughly $300 million or more. Clearly, New York isn’t worried about having a relatively expensive right-handed bat who is pretty one-dimensional defensively.

Matt Musico Says: Trade J.D. Davis

As Dilip said, Davis does bring value to the club, but by the time general manager Billy Eppler is done spending Steve Cohen’s money (once he gets a chance to do so again), his role will look even more blurry.

New York probably won’t make every single upgrade it wants via free agency. And, if they grab one more impact bat for the lineup, there’s going to be a bit of a logjam on the position-player part of the roster. So, leveraging one of their team-controlled bats to acquire some pitching — likely some help for the bullpen — makes a ton of sense. When thinking of it in those terms, that leaves Davis, Jeff McNeil, and Dominic Smith to choose from.

While some teams showed interest in McNeil prior to the lockout, trading away either him or Smith after an underwhelming season would be selling low. Plus, they’ve each at least shown an ability to play one or more positions well at the big-league level, which fits the team’s current vision.

Davis doesn’t have that ability, and his fielding at third base has been less than ideal — he’s been worth -26 Defensive Runs Saved in 1,152 2/3 career innings there. So, as Dilip said, he’s a position-less player, but he does have the benefit of having a strong bat. And, unlike Smith and McNeil, he showed that strength in 2021. He was limited to just 211 plate appearances last season, but he flashed the kind of production that’d get a team interested in his services. That’s especially the case since he’s not due to hit free agency until 2025 and is projected to make $2.7 million in 2022.

You’d hate to see the Mets trade away his offense after watching the club struggle so mightily in that area last season, but they need to give up something good to get something else they need. And, if Eppler goes out and signs a guy like Kris Bryant, Davis’ fit on this club makes even less sense than it already did. Trade him while his value is higher than other potential trade targets on New York’s roster and reinforce the pitching staff.

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