SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Third baseman
Davis, who turns 31 next month, hit .248 with 18 homers and 69 RBI last year in his first full season with the Giants, who obtained him from the New York Mets in August 2022. He also plays first base and outfield but became expendable when the Giants agreed to a $54 million, three-year contract with third baseman Matt Chapman.
During spring training this year, Davis was 6 for 15 (.400) with two homers and six RBI in six games.
Zaidi also said having Wilmer Flores gives the Giants a “similar defensive profile and role to what J.D. might be” weighed into the decision, along with adding a full-time designated hitter in Jorge Soler.
“The fit was a little bit tighter,” Zaidi said. “We did spend last week kind of canvassing the league for trade interest and didn’t really get a lot of traction there. That was part of the move of putting him on outright waivers over the weekend figuring there was more of a chance of a team putting in a claim that may be engaging in trade discussions. As soon as we got the word that he went unclaimed on outright waivers, we just decided to make this move.”
