Davis Traded; Once Again Mets Don't Get Major League Player In Return

The Ike Davis Saga came to an abrupt end just before the Mets took on the Atlanta Braves at GHMP last night.

There is no great surprise that Elvis pulled the trigger on a deal including Davis, but the timing was a bit of a surprise to me. I do believe Davis will have a better career than Duda, mainly because I have never seen anything remarkable from Duda, and with Davis, we did witness a lot of power and a solid glove at 1B.

My take on Davis' failures over the last two seasons boils down to one thing, and one thing only: the Sandy Alderson mantra of taking pitch after pitch stifled Ike's aggressiveness, and Davis has to be aggressive to be successful. Howard Johnson first put this thought in my head last year when he said that Davis needs to be aggressive, and under Alderson's tight-fisted rule, it was detrimental to Davis' production and progression. I agree with what the former Mets 3B surmised.

Another problem I have with this trade is that the Mets (as of yet) didn't get back a Major Leaguer. What they did get back, like in most all of Alderson's trades, is another "prospect' - this one is a 26 year old relief pitcher named Zack Thornton and a player to be named later. Usually a player to be named later isn't a starting big league player, but according to some accounts, this player will be significant. Unfortunately, that came from the Mets brass who can never be trusted.

As Alderson said:

“There were a lot of positives for Lucas,’’ Alderson said. “Ike has done some great things here in New York, 32 home runs one year. But we think Lucas has the same potential, might be a little more effective against left-handed [pitchers]. I think he can play first base well. This was a close call.’’

~ Kevin Kernan NY Post ~

 I tweeted last night that I am sick of the Mets getting nothing but "prospects" for major leaguers, and 213 Miles From Shea reminded me that they did get Buck for RA Dickey. Two things though:

1. Buck was the throw in
2. Buck was traded midway through the season (with Marlon Byrd) for Vic Black and Dilson Herrera.

...not quite Major League talent in my book.

I am really pulling for Ike to go on to have a wonderful career. Yes he was frustrating with some of his strikeouts, but he played a solid first base, and is the only true power hitter this team had. Yes, they do now have Granderson, but I don't expect the big power numbers to be the same in Flushing as they were in the Bronx. 

Either way, the Mets management wants nothing more on this team than droids; players that aren't permitted to think, and must just go by the book of Sandy. 90 wins? I think not.

Sources: Ultimate Mets Database, Kevin Kernan NY Post