Texas Rangers: Exploring a trade for the Mets’ J.D Davis

J.D Davis has been very productive for the New York Mets since they acquired him from the Houston Astros prior to the 2019 season.

In his two seasons with the Mets, Davis sports an .853 OPS, 129 OPS+ and 28 home runs across 600 at-bats.

For the Texas Rangers, the soon to be 28-year-old is precisely the type of player they’d want to acquire.

Capable of playing at multiple spots across the diamond (third base, left field and first base), Davis represents the kind of versatile threat and potent bat that teams so desperately crave to have on their rosters.

So would a trade between the Texas Rangers and New York Mets involving J.D Davis make sense?

We think so, as does our friend Jamey Newberg of The Athletic.

Could the Texas Rangers trade for J.D Davis?

The Rangers obviously need a third baseman to fill in as a stopgap until top prospect Josh Jung is ready to debut.

As a third baseman with a right-handed bat, J.D Davis seems to fit that criterium.

Even when Jung arrives, though, there will be questions about his ability to handle the pressure of being a franchise savior.

J.D Davis could help alleviate some of those concerns, while providing offense from the hot corner and mentorship for Jung.

What’s more, Davis would bolster the Rangers lineup immediately upon his arrival. He’s also insanely clutch, having delivered in big situations for the Mets in the past.

J.D Davis could be an intriguing acquisition for the Texas Rangers.

The 28-year-old has blossomed in New York in large part because he’s been receiving pretty regular playing time there.

Without many alternatives blocking him in Texas, Davis would also get substantial at-bats as a member of the Rangers.

Perhaps of more importance to the Rangers would be the fact that Davis is still in his arbitration years and doesn’t become a free agent until 2025, which would allow him to play an integral role in ushering in a new era of (hopefully fruitful) Ranger baseball.

The New York Mets have a dilemma on their hands, as a roster crunch could deem Davis expendable.

With a glut of infielders including Pete Alonso, Dominic Smith, Jeff McNeil, the suspended Robinson Cano, Luis Guillorme and others, the only way the Mets would be able to fit Davis into their everyday lineup would be to start him as their third baseman, unless there is a DH in the National League.

This opens up the possibility of a trade, to which the Texas Rangers should be interested.

Assuming Davis is valued pretty highly, the cost to acquire him won’t be easy.

The Mets will likely be a contender in the National League in 2021, so why not send them two big-league ready relievers (and a closer in Jose Leclerc’s case) to aid their playoff chase and a lower-ranked prospect to put the icing on the cake?

For the Rangers, they get both a third base stopgap for 2021 and a controllable asset in Davis to improve their sluggish offense and provide the roster with more flexibility.