There's still plenty of doubt about Ike Davis' future in Queens, but the Mets aren't willing to lose him for nothing. There is no consideration being given to the idea of non-tendering the first baseman in December, team insiders tell Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
With Lucas Duda and the shaky Davis both in the fold, a decision has to be made regarding the club's plan at first base, so the possibility of trading Davis remains. However, club officials believe that Davis will not be cost prohibitive in 2014 in a way that would force them to cut him loose. Davis, 26, earned $3.125MM this season as a first-year arbitration eligible player.
It's extremely rare for a player’s salary to decrease during their arbitration years, but the Mets appear to think they may have a case for a salary reduction if it ever got to a hearing, Rubin writes. A player could receive as much as a 20% cut from his previous year’s salary either through an arbitration hearing or a pre-hearing settlement, leaving Davis' floor to be $2.5MM for 2014.
Rubin found only a handful of salary cuts in arbitration over the years with the most recent one taking place in 1993. Royals pitcher Aaron Crow agreed to a 20% pay cut before the 2013 season, but that was an unusual case in which he was not yet arbitration eligible and his 2012 salary had been worked out when he was drafted No. 12 overall three years earlier.
Even if Davis gets a salary similar to his $3.125MM pay this year, it won't be a major impediment for the Mets, especially when considering the amount of money they have coming off of the books.
