Yankees acquire JD Davis – MLB Trade Rumors

The Yankees announced this afternoon that they have acquired an infielder J.D. Davis and cash compensation from the A’s in exchange for an infielder Jordan Groshans. Davis was designated for assignment by the A’s earlier this week. The Yankees transferred the right-hander Nick Burdi to the 60-day injured list to make room for Davis on the 40-man roster.

Davis, 31, signed with the A’s in late spring after the Giants released Davis during Spring Training to get out of most of the $6.9 million salary awarded to him in arbitration over the winter. He managed to secure a guarantee of just $2.5 million from Oakland, a far cry from his previously awarded arbitration salary, even after factoring in the roughly $1.1 million in severance he received from San Francisco. After that late spring controversy, Davis appeared in 39 games with the A’s, where he slashed a league average of approximately .236/.304/.366 in 135 trips to the plate while splitting time between first base, third base and the DH. .

While his offensive numbers leave something to be desired this year, Davis’ positional versatility and track record as an above-average hitter make him a perfect fit for the Yankees’ current needs. The club lost starting DH Giancarlo Stanton on the injured list earlier today, and first baseman Anthony Rizzo has also recently been on the shelf due to a broken forearm. Rookie Ben Rice has struggled a bit in his first few games to replace Rizzo at first base, while the club has no clear alternative to Stanton as the everyday DH in the house. Even at third base, where the club currently depends on the combination of Oswaldo Cabrera And DJ LeMahieuthe club has posted a wRC+ of just 78, which ranks second in the AL, ahead of only the White Sox.

More to come…