One of the things New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is good at, is picking up players off the garbage heap. Whether it is through free agency or trade, he seems to find one player a year who makes a difference. Last season he traded for the failed experiment in Nathan Eovaldi, who turned into a 14-game winner. The season before, he picked up Chris Young, who rejuvenated his career, leading to a $13 million contract with the Boston Red Sox in 2016. This year it could be another former New York Mets, player Ike Davis.
It seems crazy, but Davis could be a smart move for the Yankees to take. Yes, his career became a disaster in 2013 with the Mets, and has since fallen off further. But, the Yankees have a need and he may actually make the most sense. Plus, they could get him relatively cheap, since he wouldn’t be expecting starting first baseman money.
Davis would fill in as Mark Teixeira’s backup and become a bench player. He’s a few years removed from 32 home runs and 90 RBIs, and hasn’t batted over .235 since 2011, but the Yankees don’t need him for average or power. He would be there in case Teixeira was to get hurt for an extended period of time. Cashman said recently the two backups would be Dustin Ackley and Chase Headley, who have a combined 32 games played at the position.
If there’s anything we’ve seen in baseball, it is that not just anyone can play first base. Alex Rodriguez didn’t do so well last year in spring training, and neither did Brian McCann. Teixeira is injury-prone and needs a capable backup in case of another injury. Unfortunately he has been hurt every season since 2012, prompting the Yankees to use outside help at the position.
In 2012 we saw a combination of Eric Chavez and Steve Pearce, 2013 was Lyle Overbay, 2014 was Kelly Johnson and 2015 was Greg Bird. All had played first base before, with Overbay amassing 1,400 games at first base in his career.
With the Yankees in an interesting situation with Bird being hurt, the Yankees need a stopgap with some experience. When Teixeira went down last season they were able to thrust Bird into the position without much expectation. He blossomed and became the future first baseman. The Yankees don’t have that this year with Bird hurt and no one else waiting in the minor leagues. They need to count on a veteran.
Davis needs another change of scenery, one that didn’t happen with the Oakland Athletics. He came up with the Mets, was a former first-round draft pick and a son of a former Yankees player, Ron Davis. His ties to New York are strong even though things ended sourly with the Mets.
His left-handed swing would be good in Yankee Stadium and would also give them some pop off the bench. He’s played solid defense throughout his career and wouldn’t need to learn a new position.
Davis would like a shot at redemption and to stick it to the Mets. What better way than in a Yankees uniform?
