The New York Mets have announced that first baseman Ike Davis has been traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for right-hander Zack Thornton and a player to be named later.
Rumors surrounding Pittsburgh and Davis have been swirling for months given the Pirates lack of a viable platoon mate for Gaby Sanhcez, and the overloaded first base situation in Queens with Davis and Lucas Duda. Only two years ago Davis looked like a future central player for the Mets, mashing 32 homers and posting a .227/.308/.462 over a full season of work. However in the past two seasons Davis has struggled to put together solid production. A change of scenery has often been subscribed for Davis as a possible remedy, especially since the pressure of having to compete with Lucas Duda for a spot certainly must be taxing. The cavernous dimensions of Citi Field are also not kind to home run-centric hitters such as Davis.
Davis will bat against right handed pitchers for the Pirates, as he owns a .256/.357/.471 line against them. Add Sanchez’s .300/.399/.501 line against lefties, and the Pirates can call first base a position of strength. Davis also is not a free agent until 2017. This effectively takes them out of the market for the still-jobless qualifying offer victim Kendrys Morales.
For the Mets, Thornton, 26, is a right handed reliever who has been pitching at the Pirates AAA affiliate. In four appearances so far this year, he owns a strong 1.23 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Last season, he posted a 2.00 ERA at AA before being bumped up to AAA and posting a 3.91. Given the beleaguered status of the Mets bullpen, it would not be surprising to see him make his major league debut soon.
The trade was first reported by Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish and Jon Heyman of CBS.
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