Davis put on waivers after Chapman signing
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — With Matt Chapman’s addition to the San Francisco Giants roster, the team placed infielder J.D. Davis on waivers, according to multiple reports. The move all but ensures Davis has played his final games as a Giant.
After the Giants’ 5-1 win over an Oakland Athletics splitsquad Saturday, manager Bob Melvin couldn’t speak to the report but said that “there’s some stuff going on right now” with Davis and that he would not play Sunday. He has not been in the starting lineup since Monday.
Shortly after Chapman signed on to be the everyday third baseman earlier this month, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi acknowledged a move could come to unclog the infield logjam. The waiver move indicates there were few bites on the trade market, but the Giants want to clear the roster spot and money.
Teams in need of an everyday third baseman or some infield help could be in line to claim Davis and would be on the hook to take on his one-year, $6.9 million contract. Things get tricky if Davis goes unclaimed and is released.
The 31-year-old utilityman won an arbitration case against the Giants over a $350,000 discrepancy this offseason. Davis’ decision to take his arbitration case to a hearing means that his full $6.9 million isn’t guaranteed, according to the CBA. If Davis had settled with the Giants, his full contract would have been guaranteed upon his release. He is owed a fraction of his contract for termination pay.
Davis hit 18 home runs and batted .248 with a .738 OPS last season, but Chapman delivers a defensive upgrade at third base. If Davis stuck around, he likely would have had to accept a role off the bench. He wasn’t available Saturday for comment.
When news of Chapman’s three-year, $54 million contract agreement hit last week, Davis expressed annoyance that Zaidi and the front office didn’t call to explain his status on the roster and referenced shortstop Brandon Crawford’s dismay over the lack of communication from the front office about his changing role when the team nearly signed Carlos Correa last offseason.
“I didn’t get a phone call, Brandon Crawford didn’t get a phone call,” Davis said last week. “It is what it is. It’s part of the business. I know every management is different in how they handle things, and that’s just one of the characteristics you just have to live with.”