The New York Mets have traded first baseman Ike Davis to the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league pitcher Zack Thornton and a player to be named later. 

The Bucs acquired Davis after designating Travis Ishikawa for assignment. Davis’ stats aren’t that much different from Ishikawa’s (.208 BA, 1 HR, 5 RBI vs. .206 BA, 1 HR, 3 RBI) although Davis has a higher OBP (.367 vs. .263). 

Davis, whose father Ron was a reliever for the Yankees, Twins and Cubs in the ’70s and ’80s, was a first round draft pick by the Mets in 2008 and reached the majors in 2010. In 2012, although Davis only hit .227, he slugged 32 HR and drove in 90 runs. But in 2013, Davis slumped badly hitting only .205 with 9 HR and 33 RBI. He spent part of last season in Triple-A. The Mets tried to shop Davis around in the off-season, but to no avail. Things didn’t improve much for Davis in 2014 although he did hit a walk-off pinch hit grand slam HR against the Cincinnati Reds on April 5th. 

Getting out of New York is probably the best thing for Davis, although he has not hit particularly well at PNC Park (.207 BA, 0 HR, 1 RBI in 31 plate appearances). But it represents a fresh start for Davis. At 27, he is entering his prime and should enjoy a career resurgence. Look for Davis to finish with 23 HR and 87 RBI at season’s end with a respectable .264 average.