The New York Mets continue to shape the back end of their roster as they acquired J.D. Davis for three minor leaguers.
The New York Mets might be done making big moves as Spring Training comes closer every day, but they aren’t done shaping their roster yet.
The team announced on Twitter that they acquired J.D. Davis from the Houston Astros.
We’ve acquired infielder J.D. Davis (@JDDavis26) and minor league infielder Cody Bohanek (@BO_flex20) from Houston in exchange for minor leaguers Ross Adolph, Luis Santana and Scott Manea. #Mets pic.twitter.com/iBC89LQ8rs
— New York Mets (@Mets) January 6, 2019
The trade is J.D. Davis, who plays both infield and outfield, and infielder Cody Bohanek for outfielder Ross Adolph, second baseman Luis Santana, and catcher Scott Manea.
Nobody the Mets traded has played above Single-A, while Davis is the only player with MLB experience.
One day after acquiring Keon Broxton, the Mets made another move to address their depth by getting Davis. Davis, who plays corner infield and outfield positions, has struggled as a major leaguer, slashing .194/.260/.321 over parts of two seasons.
However, he’s crushed it in the minors, with a career Triple-A slash sitting at .335/.400/.589. He’ll turn 26 next season, so while he’s older, it’s worth noting that Jeff McNeil didn’t make the majors until he was 27 but has looked strong since coming up. There’s still time for Davis to grow into his game.
He’s hit lefties better than righties throughout his career and will look to step into the role that Wilmer Flores played last season, as a bench piece who gets some starts against lefty pitching. Flores was non-tendered despite his desire to not leave the team. He also provides depth if Peter Alonso struggles next season, and has two minor league options remaining.
Santana was the only player in the Mets top 30, coming in at 24. But he looked strong as a 19-year old, hitting .348 in Kingsport as a second baseman. He looks like a strong piece, but a lot can change between now and when he makes the majors. Still, he’s too strong of a prospect to give up for a player who has struggled with the final adjustment to Major League pitching.
Adolph hit .276 in Brooklyn during his first professional season, while Manea hit .261 with Columbia as a 22-year old catcher. Both had solid seasons but neither was gaining any traction as high-level prospects despite playing for a team with a relatively weak pipeline.
The team gave up a little too much for Davis, but if he can take the next step in his development he can still be a solid piece for the team this year.
