The Mets and Astros have swung a five-player trade centering on corner infielder/outfielder J.D. Davis, according to both teams. New York has acquired Davis and minor league infielder Cody Bohanek in exchange for three minor leaguers – second baseman Luis Santana, outfielder Ross Adolph and catcher Scott Manea.
A third-round pick of the Astros in 2014, Davis ranked among the team’s top-15 prospects at Baseball America through the 2017 campaign. Davis has shown plenty of promise by raking in the minors, particularly at the Triple-A level, where he debuted in 2017 and has slashed .335/.400/.589 with 22 home runs in 450 plate appearances. He has also picked up experience at all four corner positions at Triple-A, though most of his professional work has come at third base.
While Davis held his own in Houston’s system, he wasn’t much of a factor in the majors for the club. The right-handed batter performed decently across 68 PAs in 2017, the year the Astros won the World Series, but was ineffective across 113 trips last season. Thus far, Davis is just a .194/.260/.321 hitter with five homers in 181 major league PAs. Thanks in part to Davis’ big league struggles, not to mention the Astros’ collection of talent at the corners, they deemed him expendable.
In New York, the soon-to-be 26-year-old Davis will provide depth behind third baseman Todd Frazier, whichever first baseman the Mets choose (be it Peter Alonso, Dominic Smith or Jeff McNeil) and corner outfielders Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto. With two minor league options remaining, the Mets won’t be under pressure to place Davis on their Opening Day roster. Bohanek, meanwhile, will surely start in the Mets’ minor league system, as the 23-year-old has totaled just 43 PAs above the High-A level since the Astros chose him in the 30th round of the 2017 draft.
Of the players going to Houston, only Santana, 19, ranked among New York’s top 30 prospects at MLB.com. The 5-foot-8 Santana placed 24th, with the outlet lauding his “very advanced approach at the plate” and his makeup. Santana was dominant last season in rookie ball, where he hit .348/.446/.471 with more walks (27) than strikeouts (23) over 242 PAs. He’s a “shrewd” addition for the Astros, Keith Law of ESPN observes.
Adolph, 22, joined the Mets in the 12th round of last summer’s draft. He then proceeded to slash .276/.348/.509 with seven homers and 14 steals in 264 PAs at the Low-A level. The 23-year-old Manea had been with the Mets since they grabbed him in the 40th round of the 2014 draft. He hasn’t yet gotten past Single-A, though Astros president Jeff Luhnow said Sunday (via Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle) that the team believes Manea “can move pretty quickly and has a chance to be a big league catcher.”
Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports first reported the Mets were close to acquiring Davis. Andy Martino of SNY tweeted the Mets would get Davis and that the Astros would receive minor leaguers in the swap. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
BVW is the new Dipoto
more depth doesn’t hurt since Mets are always injured
Bohanek was captain of his college team that won Horizon League Championship, Won Championship with River Bandits late that same Summer, Won Championship with High A this past September.
Also had a hit streak with multiple multi hit games during his streak in Triple A Fresno.
Guys say in Chicago he has a tremendous glove.
Who?
Lagares for Davis?
or Plawecki? Yes, I’m talking to myself.
Makes no sense because Marisnick is probably better than Lagares defensively.
He’s not better than Lagares in the outfield.
When you already have one elite defensive outfielder on the bench…you don’t go get another. Even if he is marginally better (which he isn’t)
I just wanted to be first without saying first
It’s negligible, they’re both about the same.
Have to respectfully disagree. If Marisnick could hit enough to play every day he’s a gold glove winner. He is an elite defensive player.
Lagares probably the same thing tho.
Au contraire, Keon Broxton is better than both Marisnick and Lagares in center and he’s the elite defensive outfielder the Mets just got a day or two ago with Lagares already on the team.
Just like your team feeling like it’s in first place knowing that my June the season will be over.
Mets making a lot of small moves lately. Are they done with bigger moves ? I really like their new GM but he has been meh since that great Ramos deal he signed. Any met fans know what their payroll budget is ? I’m asking because if this is the highest it will go than they don’t have enough to win the NL east as things stand imo
They gunna let him pitch?
He can pitch! Astros put him in blow outs. He was effective.
interesting player. hit at all levels of minor leagues, obviously hard to get playing time in houston.
Also was begging Houston to let him be a 2-way player…wonder if the Mets will let him do that.
Davis is a great player! Mets got lucky with that..don’t let them numbers fool you. Davis is boarder line superstar once he has some full time under his belt. Good move for the Mets
So JD’s mom is a big Phillies fan. Cool.
Stepmom
Really? Never knew that! That’s awesome
Just read a bio on him..apparently the Phillies are his fav team as well lmao..that sucks for the Mets. Oh well they got a good player. Congrats on the trade
Syracuse is going to be stacked.
Maybe Carmelo will get 16 years younger too
Who? Is this guy . I promise and I’m not making a joke. I never heard of J.D Davis
I looked up his minor league stats. Damn good hitter, it looks like.
He was a depth player for Houston at 1B/3B.
the guy can absolutely mash at triple-a, but was worthless for the Astros, he was blocked at the major league level, maybe more of a chance with the mets
Mashing in AAA is one thing…mashing in PCL AAA is another. Call me cynical but I take PCL #’s with a grain of salt where half of the 16 teams have a BA of .270-.290 and five teams have OPS over .800
And to think that the mets farm team is so well regarded as an offensive machine playing in Vegas. Hahaha
Mets probably thinking this J.D brings the same result as the other J.D. who got cut by the Astros and signed by the Tigers.
Probably not
Interesting, low cost high upside gamble for the Mets. He over took Singleton as the Astros 1B top prospect a few years ago. He has struggled since he got cups of coffee in the majors. He may be the dreaded AAAA player. If he somehow can come close to his minor’s production it would be a great, cheap pickup. .260 – 2.80 BA, with 20+ HRs.
AJ Reed took over for Singleton and then Davis took over for Reed. Reed needs some PT and it was going to happen in Houston. Can play a competent 3b, but may ultimately need to go to 1b.
Good for JD. As an Astros fan I always wanted to see him bring it together, but with the Mets he’ll get way more playing time.
JD Davis May turn out to be a solid player for the Mets. He needed ABs in Houston and there just isn’t any room. Hopefully Astros got a good return (message posted before return was announced for the Astros)
I’m November of 2019 at the parade down the canyon of heroes you’ll think to that one move that won the World Series for the Mets. Look no further, this is it
Hahahaha
What has he done on the big team to make anyone think he is special? Can’t even hit his weight and is still considered a prospect at 26. The Mets just got hosed.
He’s had zero consistency at the major league level, so that’s not a fair assessment. When he consistently played at AAA he tore it up, so most teams would see that as a risk worth taking if it’s a position of need
JD Davis wasn’t really given a full chance either. “Rule of Seven”: It takes 7 years to evaluate a trade.
Anyone who thinks that any team got “hosed” in a trade for itty bitty bit parts doesn’t quite understand the way of the world. Or is the dreaded “hater”.
I totally agree. How can either team get “hosed” when the plyers changing teams are all relatively unknown outside of their educated fan-bases?
Dodgers fans could have said the same thin about Max Muncy this time last year.
He’s gonna take Wilmer’s place in the bench.
Mets are dumb just traded a future star Ross Adolph nearby me. This guy is going to be a stud win by Astros.
Are you moronic!?!?!? Ross Adolph a superstar??? It’s clueless people like you that make participating in threads like these painful. How the fu(k do you know whether or not this guy is going to be a superstar??? Did you steal a delorean and travel 5-7 years into the future with Doc Brown???
Santana (18-22 range) was the highest rated player the Mets traded for Davis. The others were even worse. I’ll take my chances with the Next Muncy.
Short second baseman with a good eye at the plate and more power than you’d expect from a guy his size. Houston has made a star out of one guy with that resume, perhaps they can do it again with Santana in a few years.
Is this depth or is McNeil just never going to play?
When I saw JD Davis play, I thought he was good enough to be a MLB starter. He is blocked in HOU. If NYM give him a chance, I think he will do well at 3B for them.
Also, I think C Scott Manea. already looks like he can catch MLB pitching.
Nice sneaky trade for the Astros. Santana is still very young, but that slash line is very impressive.
JD Davis is going to be a very good player with regular ABs. He has a great chance to be a Travis Shaw type breakout. Great move by the Mets.
good luck to Davis, was always intrigued by his potential but he was blocked here. Sort of like Tyler White in that getting consistent ABs was hard here, but finally got some extended time and made something happen. Hope Davis gets that shot now with the Mets.
JD Davis, Cal State Fullerton Titans, WILL BE AN ALL STAR. No doubt about it. Go Titans!
This seems like the kind of pickup Cleveland makes and then hopes he rakes at the major league level; surprised they weren’t in on him.
If I’m the Mets, I want Davis playing over Frazier all day. Frazier is awful! Let the young guy get some experience and see if it clicks. Honestly can’t be that much worse that Frazier. It truly can’t..
On a separate note, bravo to the Astros on this deal. Bunch of players who look promising and will take time to develop (while they have time) in exchange for 1 promising player that needs to play now and can’t with their stacked team. Nice work. I’d stay this is ultimately a good deal for both teams
Beat me to it. Astros fan, here, and I fully endorse your 2nd paragraph. Win’win for pretty much everybody. Here’s what I think will happen, barring injury : JD hits between 100-250 MLB homers, solid 8-year plus career from here. Astros see Manea late 2019, and other 2 guys in late 2021. Astros 3 will have 2X the career MLB PA that Davis will wind up with, 🙂
Davis has a hard time hitting .200 and his lack of power has been evident in the majors.
7 HR in 68 PA 2017. That’s McGwire level power.
He’s had a very solid average in the minors especially in ‘18.
McNeil has earned the spot more. He’s a natural 3B & he was phenomenal in the limited amount of time he was given last season. Totally agree with you on Frazier though. He’s a hole in the line up.
Totally agree with giving someone a chance to out hit Frazier. He gets hot for 3 weeks, twice a year with nothing in between. Davis is a very nice pick up who, again, has major league experience and still only 26 with options remaining. Just because he hasn’t put numbers up in a small sample size doesn’t mean he can’t.
not sure I’m liking this move. this and broxton, both coming over, even though providing depth… has pushed from what I saw, two pretty talented and needed minor players who had higher value.
and not only giving those players up in these trades which probably could’ve been straight up, added two extra players in both deals…. 6 players for 2.
hopefully it helps in the end. just think we are giving more than we need to
I’m a bit surprised that the Astros moved Davis. He has promise and two options. However, I understand that this is probably better for the player.
I know nothing about the prospects, but it’s probably good for the farm. I accept that it be years before we know if this trade is good for the Astros. However, it’s a win for the Mets regardless.
I get that this is a depth move, but I’m concerned about what it means for McNeil. I had him lining up at 3B once BVW traded for Canó & Díaz, moving Frazier over to first until they’re ready to give Alonso the nod. Now I’m not sure.
The kid has more than earned a STARTING role.I really hope they don’t snub him.
relax—davis has minor league options
Chandler Rome, on Twitter :
“Jeff Luhnow said the Astros were not planning to part with J.D. Davis, but “there was enough of a market for him that we decided to go ahead and explore it because there’s no obvious spot for him on our 25-man roster next year, at this point.”
“The Mets were aggressive.””
Not sure what the Mets are doing. First they sign Liriano and trade for Broxton to fill their gaping hole in center field. Then they trade from an already thin farm system to get Davis, a poor hitting utility player. This does clear a spot for the Astros, so I understand it from their point of view, but it makes no sense for the Mets. For that matter, neither did acquiring Cano who will have to be a 1B or DH soon.
The comments on this trade are perfect…….
Astros fans are gracious and wish Mr. Davis well.
While some Met fans are happy to acquire him, most have to insult – Mr. Davis; the Mets GM; or other Met players.
If Mr. Davis had played for da Yankees – the comments would be overflowing with name-calling, personal insults, ridicule, exaggeration of his weaknesses, and statements that at age 26 his career is over and he should take the million dollars he made in baseball and go bag groceries.
I was looking through Mets twitter – brutal & nasty. Huge difference overall between Astros fans & Mets “fans”.
Ironic, too. Aren’t New Yorkers known for their gentleness and hospitality?
Davis needs a regular shot to play and ABs. Too small of a big league sample size to judge yet. Astros couldn’t afford to give him that shot. Tyler White was a zero until he was called back up last season and finally produced with regular ABs, and Davis was kind of in the same situation. Guy has some potential, so I certainly wouldn’t slam the move from a Mets perspective. It’s time for him to get a long look at the big league level. I would’ve liked to see him play here if he wasn’t behind Bregman, Gurriel, and White. He can also pitch an inning or two in a blowout to save your staff if needed. Give him a shot.
Agree totally. Astros fan since Dierker won 20. No room for JD here, think he’ll do well there, Luhnow’s a genius,
Astros and Rangers have nice folks posting for years, I guess it is Texas hospitality.
Was BVW Davis’s agent prior to his taking the GM position with the Mets?
Agents: MVP Sports Group
Based on his minor league stats, Davis deserves a shot. My initial reaction to this trade was negative because I have been lobbying for Brodie to acquire Myles Straw from the Astros. I still believe Straw would have been a better get due to his speed and high OBP, but Davis has power and could mature into a 20+ HR player. And he is a bit more versatile than Straw..
The Mets traded away 3 low level minor leaguers with high upsides, but too far away to consider them real prospects yet. On balance, this is a good trade for both teams. The Mets made out well.
I agree.
Wish JD well. Never had a shot to play at the big league level for the Astros. Hope he can blossom in NY.
Another good trade for Brodie Van Wagenen. Adding talent to the roster without surrendering much in return. Loving it.
This move makes no sense to me isn’t this guy a replacement level player as the nerds say? Should be a dime a dozen looking at his stats.
Hopefully the Mets can trade Frazier and let Davis play everyday at 3B. McNeil can be the 1B until Alonso is called up, then McNeil can transition to a Super Utility role. With everyday at bats, I believe Davis will hit at least 20 HR’s to go along with a .260-.270 BA and maybe 70-80 RBI’s.
The key is getting rid of Frazier. Going into his last year and only making $9 million with a $500,000 acquisition kicker, so really $9.5 million, shouldn’t be that difficult. The Mets should pay $3.5 million of that remaining salary and see what teams would be willing to take a bite on a 1 yr, $6 million Todd Frazier.