Mets trade Ike Davis to Pirates for prospects

After having the position of first base clogged by both Lucas Duda and Ike Davis, the Mets have been in talks for weeks with many teams for Davis, seemingly making Duda the long-term option at the position. After many rumors and teams showing interest, the Mets have finally ended the "saga" by dealing the Arizona native to Pittsburgh today. 

The Mets and Pirates agreed to a deal that sent Ike Davis to the Pirates, in exchange for prospect Zack Thornton and a player to be named later, according to Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com and Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Many have already bashed the Mets for the trade, barring the player they received that will be named later. 

Ike Davis remains under contract throughout the 2016 season, with arbitration seasons in 2015 and 2016 that the Pirates will most likely cover. They will be getting a hitter that homered 32 times not too long ago in 2012 for a exceptionally reasonable price. A change of scenery, plus a ballpark that is much more even than Citi Field, which heavily favors pitchers. 

In 2013, the 27 year old Davis hit a slash line of .205/.326/.334 with 9 home runs and 33 RBI in 377 plate appearances. He posted a 0.2 WAR (Davis has already reached that mark so far THIS SEASON) and a 89 OPS+ in an overall dismal season. In 2012, Davis hit a slash line of .227/.308/.462 with 32 home runs and 90 RBI in 584 plate appearances. He added 1.0 WAR and posted a 111 OPS+.

The Mets will be receiving relief pitcher Zack Thornton. Thornton can throw a fastball around 89 to 90 MPH, has a decent slider, and a good change-up. The 26 year old has a career 10.2 K/9 rate, a 2.2 BB/9 rate, and a career 3.03 ERA. While these numbers look good on paper, Thornton has yet to receive the call. He could be a middle reliever type of guy in the Major Leagues. 

Personally, the Mets could have received more for Ike Davis. They may have wanted him out of the locker-room, but with all the interest, they should have waited on more offers. We will have to see what the player to be named later is, but for now, it's hard to like this deal for the New York Mets.

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