Ike Davis Being DFA’d By Pittsburgh Pirates Makes Mets Decision to Keep Lucas Duda Even Better
When the New York Mets traded Ike Davis to the Pittsburgh Pirates in mid-April, there were some fans unsettled about the decision Mets general manager Sandy Alderson had made. There weren’t many people that were comfortable with Lucas Duda being the full-time option at first base, where Davis and Duda had been splitting time for most of 2013. If Duda’s played wasn’t enough to quell the disgruntled fans, the move the Pirates made Thursday should do the trick; Davis was designated for assignment by the Pirates.
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The move itself isn’t too shocking, as Davis didn’t produce much more for the Pirates than he had for the Mets the past from 2013 and beyond, as he only .235 with 10 home runs, 46 RBI and 43 runs in 131 games and 336 at-bats with the Pirates. It has been quite a fall from grace for Davis, who looked like a cornerstone for the Mets from 2010-2013 as he displayed power at the plate and an above-average glove in the field. But Davis has never been able to come close to repeating the 32 home runs he smashed in 2012 as he has only 11 since.
Davis seemed to understand the business side of the MLB and the decision made by the Pirates, as he was quoted saying, “It comes down to spots. There’s only one first baseman on a team. When you have three, there’s going to be an off man out. It was me.”
The other two players that Davis is referring to are Gaby Sanchez and Pedro Alvarez. Sanchez is the right-handed hitter of the three, playing that side of the platoon. Alvarez, like Davis, is left-handed at the plate. While Davis certainly didn’t perform as the Pirates had hoped, there is also some politics going on here as Alvarez is a former first round pick for the team, and will be given every opportunity to pan out. Unlike Davis though, Alvarez power has never really waned, and is something the Pirates needed.
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For the Mets, Duda proved to be the correct decision at first base. In his first season not competing with Davis, Duda flourished, leading the Mets in home runs, RBI and OBP; he finished 11th in the MLB in homeruns, tied for 19th in RBI and tied for 40th in OBP. Davis did not come near those numbers, and even if you add up his 2013 and 2014 stats he still doesn’t eclipse Duda’s 2014 numbers.
While the Mets look smart by moving Davis and keeping Duda, there is a chance another GM could look smart by bringing Davis in. Because of his glove, Davis would be a fit with AL or NL teams. He would be a great fit for a team looking for help from the left side of the plate in a platoon. While his overall stats are a little lacking, Davis still gets it done against righties; in 2014 he compiled a .247/.360/.405 slash line. Those are more than adequate numbers for part of a platoon.