DONE DEAL: Dodgers have completed the deal of a top talented Veteran.
The Oakland Athletics are designating J.D. Davis for assignment according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. It’s the second time this year he has been relieved of duty after the San Francisco Giants cut him in spring training, but neither instance had much to do with his play on the field. The A’s are moving on from him to create an artificial trade deadline.
In 135 trips to the plate, Davis is only hitting .236/.304/.366 with four home runs. Those are disappointing numbers for the lifetime .259/.341/.427 hitter, but they aren’t as bad as they seem. His OPS+, which is adjusted for Oakland’s extremely pitcher-friendly park, is 97—only 3% below league-average. As a corner infielder with a poor defensive reputation, he needs to hit better than that, but he’s a small hot streak away from getting back to his career averages.
There are three reasons why the A’s gave up on him so soon. The first one is money. He is earning a $2.5 million base salary this season with $1 million in incentives. If another team picks him up, they will take on the $1.38 million remaining on his deal, relieving Oakland of some payroll obligations. He was originally scheduled to receive $6.9 million, but when the Giants cut him they only had to give him 3o days of termination pay, or around $1.1 million.
The second reason is that the A’s would rather give playing time to other players. 22-year-old Tyler Soderstrom, who is batting .250/.357/.464, will take over as the everyday first baseman. He was a catching prospect coming up through their system, but he’s blocked behind the plate by Shea Langeliers. The club’s best bat has been designated hitter Brent Rooker’s, who has a .507 slugging percentage and is tied with Langeliers for the team lead with 13 home runs. With first base and DH locked up, Davis could shift over to third base, but Abraham Toro is hitting about as well as him and plays better defense.
The third reason explains why the A’s chose this moment in time to designate Davis for assignment rather than waiting to see if he turns his season around—they want to capitalize on other teams’ pressing needs for corner infielders and incite a bidding war.
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