Backyard Fowl Keepers

Trade rumors regarding have been prevalent throughout the offseason. The Giants were linked to for nearly four months before getting a deal done last week. Now that Chapman has displaced Davis from the starting lineup, theres again speculation about a subsequent trade. The Giants signing Chapman doesnt seem to have been conditional on a Davis trade, as the latter remains on the San Francisco roster five days later. Davis is probably overqualified for a bench role. He has played fairly regularly over the past five seasons between the Mets and Giants. Davis has turned in above-average offensive numbers in each of those seasons, although last years .248/.325/.413 slash line was his weakest since he established himself as a regular. Davis has received some criticism for his glove. Public metrics had almost unanimously graded him as a below-average defender until last season. There was a split in his defensive grades in 2023. Defensive Runs Saved still considered him among the worst third basemen in the league, grading him 11 runs below average. Statcast, by contrast, viewed his work as four runs better than par. No one would consider Davis comparable to Chapman with the glove, Scott Foster Jersey but pairing average or better defense with his power potential would make him a good everyday player. That alone doesnt mean the Giants need to trade him. San Francisco could keep him on hand as a quality depth option for this season. Its not an ideal roster fit. Beyond Chapman, the Giants have as a righty-hitting corner infielder and will use at designated hitter. While Davis would have the ability to pursue an everyday third base job in free agency next winter, he doesnt have much recourse right now. He said over the weekend that hes willing to do whatever the team needs, even as he called the signing definitely surprising and stated he was unaware the team was adding Chapman before it was reported publicly (comments relayed by and of the San Francisco Chronicle). Carrying Davis in a limited role is a suboptimal outcome for the Giants. Hes making $6.9MM after winning an arbitration hearing. Thats a lot to commit for a player used sparsely off the bench. Yet even if the Giants decide theyd prefer to offload Davis salary, Chapmans late signing date could complicate those efforts. A number of teams have publicly declared theyre near or at the level at which theyre willing to spend. Some clubs might view Davis as a slight upgrade over their in-house third basemen but not want to add a near-$7MM salary le s than three weeks before Opening Day. Free agent spending on infielders was down all offseason and has gone particularly cold in recent weeks. Players like ($5MM), ($1.5MM) and ($1.5MM) inked one-year pacts for salaries below what Davis will command. The Urshela contract, in particular, doesnt point to a robust demand for third basemen. Where will that leave the Giants? Will whatever trade interest they receive in Davis over the next few weeks be strong enough that they deem it preferable to keeping him? Will The Giants Trade J.D. Davis? Yes, before Opening Day. 46.02% (2,341votes) Yes, midseason. 35.15% (1,788votes) No. 18.83% (958votes) Total Votes: 5,087 Jeremy Roenick Jersey