Despite interest from one of his former teams, infielder J.D. Davis opted to stay in the Bay Area. The Athletics reportedly signed J.D. Davis to a one-year deal after the 30-year-old was released by the Giants, a move that’s poised to give Oakland a much-needed power bat.
A Look at Davis
After an up-and-down tenure with the Mets, the Giants acquired J.D. Davis in the trade that sent Darin Ruf to Queens in August 2022. Since that trade, Davis got regular playing time and did well in the Bay Area.
Across a career-high 144 games played, Davis hit 18 home runs and posted a respectable 9.5% BB% rate for the Giants.
Davis possesses above-average power, covers the outside of the plate well, and does have a solid eye at the plate. Those tools have allowed him to post fine numbers when given a chance.
One weakness, though, that Davis has had for much of his career is whiffs, particularly with the fastball up in the zone.
The new Athletic had a major issue with fastballs up early on his career as a Met and that’s only gotten marginally better over the years. That’s easily visible on his whiff charts over the last five seasons.
Sinkers have also been a weakness for Davis. Davis hit just .187 off sinkers and posted a -12 Run Value on them in 2023.
Defensively, Davis has been known to be a fringe defender at third, dating back to his early days in pro ball. However, the 30-year-old does have good arm strength and posted a strong +6 OAA at third last season.
Per The Athletic, J.D. Davis signed with the A’s on a one-year deal worth $2.5MM with an extra $1MM in incentives.
Analysis
When Matt Chapman signed with the Giants, it seemed likely that Davis was the odd man out in San Francisco. That turned out to be the case, as the Giants would release Davis just days later.
The Mets were reportedly interested in Davis but the 30-year-old will instead stay close to the Bay Area. For reference, Davis was born and went to high school in Elk Grove, about 95 miles away from Oakland.
For the A’s, the move is virtually a no-brainer. The Athletics are deep in a rebuild and don’t have much in the way of impact bats aside from Zack Gelof and on-base machine Ryan Noda. Oakland did have Darell Hernaiz and Abraham Toro as third base options but Davis is an upgrade.
What could also benefit Davis is the fact that he’ll not only get a clear path for regular playing time at third in Oakland, but he could also be a potential trade chip to a contender come the summer.