SATURDAY: The PTBNL in the deal is likely to be a 2013 draft pick, Heyman tweets. He also notes that that player, and not Thornton, is the "key piece." 2013 picks will not be eligible to be traded until the summer.
FRIDAY 6:22pm: The PTBNL is "fairly significant," tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. It is worth bearing in mind, as Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com points out on Twitter, that 2013 draft picks still cannot technically be included in a deal.
5:45pm: A long-awaited deal has finally been struck, as the Mets officially dealt first baseman Ike Davis to the Pirates in exchange for minor league righty Zack Thornton and a player to be named later. A deal involving the struggling Davis has long been rumored, with the Pirates long said to be a likely trade partner.
For New York, the departure of Davis means that the club will move ahead with Lucas Duda as its regular first baseman, a role that he had taken on early in 2014. It also marks the end to an ultimately disappointing tenure in New York for the 27-year-old, left-handed hitting slugger.
Meanwhile, the Pirates will take on the $3.14MM left on Davis's 2014 salary, and will control his rights via arbitration through 2016. Davis will presumably work in some form of platoon with the right-handed hitting Gaby Sanchez, who the club picked up after he too took steps backward after a promising early career.
Once a top-100 prospect, Davis raised expectations with a strong rookie campaign in 2010, in which he hit .264/.351/.440 with 19 home runs over 601 plate appearances at age 23. He was off to a hot start the next year, hitting .302/.383/.543, before he was sidelined with ankle issues. Before the 2012 season, Davis reportedly contracted valley fever, but nevertheless managed to hit 32 long balls in 584 trips to the dish. But his OBP dropped to .308 that year, and he has not returned to form since. Over 407 MLB plate appearances in 2013-14, Davis has just a .205/.329/.337 line with 10 home runs and a rising strikeout problem (he reached a career-high 26.8% K% last year.)
Thornton is a 25-year-old reliever who was working in Triple-A this season after reaching that level late last year for the first time. He did not appear on Baseball America's list of the Bucs' top prospects this year or last year. Pittsburgh acquired Thornton in exchange for Chris Resop in May of last year. According to Thornton's profile on PiratesProspects.com, he has been much more effective against same-handed hitters in his minor league career.
As the profile also notes, Thornton was left unprotected in this year's Rule 5 draft but was not selected even after a good showing in the Arizona Fall League. While he should provide depth to a struggling Mets pen, he seems a disappointing return for a player of Davis's former promise. It remains to be seen, of course, whether the PTBNL can bring additional value to the Mets.
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first tweeted that a deal was in the works. Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com (Twitter links) first reported that the deal was done, and that one or two prospects would head back to New York.
finally this trade has happened.
Wondering what 25 man move will be made
Chris Young being activated…
So basically an Ike Davis clone with less offensive upside and he plays the outfield…
So basically Lucas Duda
Hopefully, the Mets got something good.
Now he’ll probably hit 30 hrs/yr, hit .275, and get traded to the Yankees in a few years and go back to being bad. It’s the circle of life.
I’ll take that. Big payday for my client and then we laugh our way to the sunset.
Ohh you’re quick.
Not likely with the pitching staffs of Reds and Cards in same division. Thanks Mets for putting another hole in. Bucs lineup.
Are those two pitching staffs really much deeper than the Nats and the Braves? I have my doubts.
Passover truly is a time for freedom.
Fresh start, change of scenery, potential winning ballclub, maybe this will be the catalyst that gets Davis back to the form he showed when he first hit the majors.
He definately has enough talent to come back and rise again, most of it is mental with him i suspect.
If the Metsies got something good back it could be a good move all around.
Agreed. In fact, I read some comments where the Pirates coaching staff thought they could get him back on track, and that PNC Park was better suited to left handed bats.
There’s no guarantee though. He could just be the same old Ike Davis he’s been the last few years.
Zach Thornton to Mets
I hope the Mets just robbed the Pirates. Watch Davis breakout and hit 30 HR for the Bucs. Seems like every player that goes to Pitt that has had trouble being consistent, they fix. AJ Burnett 2 years ago, Liriano last year and Volquez in 2014. Ike will most likely platoon with Sanchez. IMHO, good deal for the Bucs.
and this would be robbing the pirates?
He said he hopes they robbed them.
yes he did. now feel free to read the rest of it and see how that fits in context.
He hopes the Mets got something really good for Davis, because he thinks Davis will break out with the Pirates. I’m confused by your confusion.
Reading isn’t for everybody.
And he’s going to be disappointed. Any deal involving my client is bound to hurt he who traded my client away. Watch: the Mets will slowly undergo curses leading to their imminent demise as a franchise because of this. And Ike will hit .400 with 74 homers and 197 RBI for the Pirates next season, with a Gold Glove. He is in the best shape of his life and ready to launch dingers over that Clemente Wall!
The Mets do not support any illegal activity like robbery, just ask Madoff.
It’s worked for pitchers, but not hitters. Morneau and Ludwick to name a couple.
Pirates have a idifferent hitting coach. Ludwik was unhealthy here and morneau hit really well just not a lot of power.
Pirates have a idifferent hitting coach. Ludwik was unhealthy here and morneau hit really well just not a lot of power.
didn’t the pirates tell their pitchers to pitch almost all sinkers to get ground balls and rely on their shifts to get the outs?
looking at davis hit, i think he’s got a lot more problems than going to a new team can fix.
Jose Bautista was not fixed.
Jose Bautista was also from a different regime.
Wooosh.
And before anyone else decides to refute that, I am aware that Huntington was about a year into his tenure in Pittsburgh, but the coaching staff was different.
Have to think the PTBNL is someone promising. Can’t imagine a 26 year old fringe-prospect reliever is the best piece coming back.
I would hope so but for now this looks like a great deal for Pittsburgh.
you all realize ike davis has been absolutely terrible for a couple years now, right? pittsburgh trading little to get him, but there’s a good reason for that.
Career .256/.357/.828 vs right handed pitching. Gaby Sanchez .300/.399/.900 vs left handed pitching. Quite the platoon. He was still valued highly by the Mets so they either gave in and gave him up for less than they wanted to or the Pirates actually gave someone of interest to the Mets (I doubt that guy is Thornton but who knows).
I have to hope so. The Mets could have obtained Thornton in December during the Rule 5 draft for nothing (except for the $50000 acquisition cost)
except they’d have to keep him on the 25 man roster all season in order to keep him when he probably needed more time in the minors.
Apparently the PTBNL is a 2013 draft pick so it looks like it will be a solid prospect coming back to the Mets.
If Ike Davis finds his power swing in Pittsburgh, watch out.
Change of scenery move… excellent deal for the Pirates.
He still had his power swing in NY. He is capable of hitting the ball 475 feet. He is not capable of consistently hitting major league offspeed pitching.
Mets could’ve had Thornton in the Rule V draft. Surprise Wang was taken and Thornton wasn’t. Gotta wonder who that PTBNL is.
From the looks of things, the Pirates didn’t give up all that much.
Yet, the Mets wanted Rodriguez from the O’s for him.
Hmm…
Hopefully, everyone got something and it works out for both teams.
How’s that for straddling the fence? =P
well we don’t know who the PTBNL is, so, there’s that. Maybe it is someone on the 40 who needs to clear waivers, like Stolmy?
Nobody needs to clear waivers for a trade until after July 31.
pretty low return for Ike Davis especially considering it’s someone who the pirates didn’t even protect
Thornton and….Irwin/Cumpton?
This is good for the Mets since it opens up 1st Base for Duda, Satin, Flores, and Murphy which at the same time opens up 2nd Base for Eric Young Jr which adds flexibility to the Outfield so that Chris Young, Granderson, and Lagares can also play. I like that one move opens the door for so much. That’s a strong way to utilize depth.
Young+Granderson+Lagares will hit for a combined average of? ~.235?
Where do you buy your crystal ball? Sears?
Nope, baseball reference actually.
Yes, maybe if you added Young, Granderson and Lagares’ averages they might total .260.
Average their averages if they hit around their career averages.
I think you’re putting in a little too much faith in Lagares. He has a career BA of .251 and I don’t believe his hot start of .314 this year. Personally I don’t count on any real production from the bat of someone with an OBP below .300
More like .260-.270 but yeah
I don’t know why the Orioles were so hot for this guy.
And now I feel for Ishikawa, who is homeless again.
Even as a platoon partner, he still is below average. Growing up I watched him develop at the major league level. Honestly, his best role is being a good pinch hitter late in the game and late inning defensive replacement. I think he led the majors in 2010 with pinch hits. He can drive the count deep at times and is pretty solid defensively.
Typical Met’s move to trade for a guy they could of had in rule 5. Ugh…
This is the same team that got a very promising bullpen arm (Vic Black) and a highly regarded SS prospect (Dilson Herrera) for 2 months of Marlon Byrd and John Buck. Btw, Herrera was a PTBNL in that deal
Dilson Herrera has played exactly 4 career games at SS.
“Highly regarded SS prospect” is a pretty big stretch
My fault: 2B prospect. Still highly regarded
and black was the PTBNL
except under more favourable terms
And somehow they see him as a better option than Mazzaro.
The second player in the deal is rumored to be a 2013 draft pick from the Pirates so this deal could actually look good for the Mets if its a solid prospect.
I’m guessing the second guy is nothing special either. The Mets just wanted to wash their hands of Davis. The Pirates will release Ishikawa and that will be that.
A salary dump- Duda- 500k. Ike 3.1M. Now our payroll is 6M less than last year- gotta love our owners
Duda makes $1.9 Davis makes $3.5 and Duda has been the far superior player for a number of years now. Its not a salary dump, its a smart baseball move.
My guess is the PTBNL will be based on Davis’s production.
Thornton’s numbers are fairly ridiculous. he should immediately be named the Mets’ closer.
his minor league stats are pretty damn good. whats the deal with this guy pitt fans?
acquired last May for Chris Resop…. hasn’t been in the organization very long
Was kind of a shock that he didn’t go in the Rule 5 draft, but no real room for him in the Pirates bullpen.
Good luck, Ike. It’s got to be a load off your shoulders.
Jon Heyman reporting PTBNL is a “fairly significant piece”
Bell,Henson,Sanchez or so on?
probably so on. I would think a 10-20 prospect like Black or Herrera was, but who knows. Pirates do need that bat badly.
I highly doubt Bell or Hanson will be traded. Sanchez maybe, but that would leave the Pirates with a hole at catcher until McGuire is ready.
Not that significant.
Do we know if the reason the player is a PTBNL is because they were drafted in 2013?
LOL at Mets fans on Twitter speculating the PTBNL is Polanco.
It’s called sarcasm and JOKE….the whole lot of Mets fan know it’s not going to be someone like Polanco.
Adam Rubin is pointing out that 2013 draft picks CAN be included in a deal, they would just need to be a PTBNL and moved after the year timeline is over..
Do injured players need to be classified as a PTBNL? If that is the case, my gut is telling me it could be Clay Holmes. Rodriguez and Sampson emerging make Clay a little more expendable.
The PTBNL had *better* be significant or the Astros would have some serious explaining to do.
I hope the PTBNL is a Mr. Met costume that someone left at PNC by accident.
I didn’t watch the beginning of the game, but is the PTBNL Mercer? I wasn’t sure why he was yanked from the game today.
Nope, he got a bit banged up on a takeout slide and was running a little funny on the bases after that.
I didn’t watch the beginning of the game, but is the PTBNL Mercer? I wasn’t sure why he was yanked from the game today.
The PTBNL is “pretty significant” well then who?
I will believe it when I see it. That sounds like Heyman talked to the GM of NY and he said who else you getting? I cant say but he is fairly significant!!! What else is he going to say? The other guy is a throw in? Some of the names being said are comical.
You can’t judge the trade until it’s finalized and you know who else is coming back but regardless this is a good move. Davis needed a change of scenery, the Mets needed to move on. I wish the player well and hope the Mets get another valuable piece to complete the deal.
mets are not that dumb. maybe they will get a young Pitcher back as the player to be named …heredia? Clay Holmes maybe?
I’m guessing the early success of the Brewers 1st baseman’s killed Davis’ value quite a bit. Brewers were a big landing spot for Davis and them not being interested probably didn’t help.
Mark Reynolds .702 OPS, Lyle Overbay .480 OPS. Early success of the Brewers, yes. Early success of the Brewers first basemen, not so much.
My guess for the PTBNL is that they came in the 2013 draft, so here are the suspects:
Reese McGuire C (1) Pirates #7, #100MLB, #6 C MLB
Austin Meadows OF (1) Pirates #4, #43 MLB, #8 OF MLB
Blake Taylor LHP (2) Pirates NR
JaCoby Jones 2b/OF (3) Pirates #17
Cody Dickson LHP (4) Pirates #19
I’m shocked, stunned and amazed if it’s McGuire or Meadows, because I don’t think the Pirates give that up. I don’t think Taylor qualifies as REALLY interesting, so that leaves Jones and Dickson. The Mets are pretty thin on LHP, but need position players even more. If I had to guess, I’d say the PTBNL is Jones, but Dickson would not surprise me either.
Since Jones started today I’m guessing Dickson or Taylor
None of them can be traded until around July, so what happens today is irrelevant. That is why it is called player to be named later.
I think his point is that the mets wouldn’t want Pittsburgh using the player they are getting in case of injury. But I assume there are contingencies on the trade, and it is very possible that the Mets have a list of players to choose from and may not have yet made their choice.
Why would injury matter? None of these players are reaching the majors for years, and the trade hasn’t happened yet so the Mets can just change their mind and take someone else.
No way they get McGuire or Meadows lol. That’d be a serious robbery by the Mets.
Alderson has gotten Wheeler for a FA to be in Beltran, d’Arnaud AND Syndergaard for a 38 year old Dickey, Herrera and Black for a one hit wonder Byrd (and Buck). He has a very good history of wanting top dollar for his players and getting it. Would seriously not surprise me in the least if the PTBNL is Meadows. With McCutchen, Marte, and Polanco ready to man the Pirates OF for the next 10 years, where would Meadows fit in?
They’ve robbed before, wouldn’t put it past them again
Jones I think would be the likely candidate possibly since they could use the help in the middle infield/OF so it would make sense. Meadows would be amazing to pry but I don’t think that is the case I’d surprised if that happen.
Look at it this way: If the Pirates made it known around baseball that they would be willing to deal one of their top guns from last year’s draft, I doubt the best player they would be offered is Ike Davis.
lol, just wait till they amend the trade to include ‘or cash’ for the ptbnl
there’s no way Heyman uses the word “significant” if its the Pirates 17th or 19th rated prospect.
When the Pirates #17 or #19 is equal to a weaker teams farm system #10-12 because of their great depth. Then yes, that would be significant. The Pirates 10-20 are better than some teams 5-15.
Well my guess is that Thornton will be assigned to a maligned bullpen. They have made a claim that the PTBNL is a legit prospect so wait and see. Maybe Alan Hansen?
If it’s a PTBNL from the 2013 draft, don’t you think it would be one that isn’t playing so far. The younger HS draftees usually play short season ball after the draft and you wouldn’t want to pick a guy for a trade who continues to play for the Pirates and gets hurt
Plus, I doubt Heyman would use the word “significant” if it was some 3rd round draftee or worse. The only one that fits the bill is Meadows !!
You’re on crack.
Sorry Heyman used the words “pretty significant”, Jon wouldn’t use those words for some 3rd round pick EVER
The trade was for “Ike” Davis not Chris Davis. Amazing how most met fans were ready to give this guy away. Now they think they’re getting a top 10 draft pick in return for him.
So you think Baltimore would trade Chris Davis for an 18 year old 1st round pick ? Never
Would Pittsburgh trade an 18 year old 1st rd pick for a 27 year old guy who hit 30 homers 2 years ago? Yes
50% of 1st round picks never make it to the majors, especially high schoolers.
Pittsburgh is in “win now” form. Much like we learned from SF and Toronto, they will trade unproven talent for shots to get better at the major league level.
It’s not Meadows.
lol
I wish the down votes still worked
Wow are you going to be disappointed!!!
He said “fairly significant” which is kinda faint praise. You are not getting one of the Pirates’ top picks from last year’s draft.
Maybe he used “significant” because it will be considered the main part of the trade.
“fairly significant”, actually
meadows is a future top 10 prospect. If this was for stanton then maybe. For Ike davis it’s cody dickson and let’s call it a day
Just please avoid discuss baseball if you are going to be that illogical.
almost every thing im reading is suggesting that its very possible that it could be meadows which would make alderson look like a genius. even if its not, the $3 mil they saved needs to go to Stephen Drew…. Ruben Tejada is at .178 (8/45) right now and is showing absolutely no improvement from last year.
I’d be ecstatic if we acquired Blake Taylor or Jacoby Jones. Our system lacks up the middle talent and LHP-SP prospects. Either of those would be a fantastic acquisition
all of you mets fans who think you’ll get austin meadows-lol.
Those are the fans who don’t actually understand how these things work
No, we have just lived long enough to see GMs make these kinds of trades before in the past. Let’s wait and see who it is before we say anything.
Alderson trading Beltran for Wheeler and Dickey for d’Arnaud/Syndergaard are completely different situations. Davis holds almost no value and there were multiple other 1B of similar caliber that were on the market. Sorry, but it is delusional to think that Sandy could’ve gotten a consensus Top 100 prospect for a reclamation project
I highly doubt it’s Meadows, but then again, Sandy Alderson somehow pulls a rabbit out of the hat. Thanks for Herrera BTW.
If the rumors are true and it is one of Pittsburghs 2013 picks it’s silly to think it would be Meadows (although it would be awesome if it were). JaCoby Jones seems like the most logical PTBNL and as a Mets fan, that’s a pretty good get for Davis