The Mets are "pushing hard" to trade second baseman Daniel Murphy, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports and they have also spoken with several clubs about first baseman Ike Davis, according to Marc Carig of Newsday.
Mets rumors: Daniel Murphy, Ike Davis shopped by New York
The Mets could deal the right side of their infield this winter.
Greg Fiume
Carig reports that the Brewers inquired on Davis and at least four other teams are considering adding the 26-year-old power hitter. The Orioles may be in pursuit of both players according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, but he believes that the Brewers and Rays are more likely destinations for Davis.
Davis has struggled badly at times over the last two seasons, but he is under team control until 2017 and he offers premium power potential at first base. In 2012, after slumping to start the season and nearly being demoted to Triple-A, Davis bounced back, hitting .255/.346/.542 with 20 home runs in the second half. In 2013, he was unable to make a similar July transformation and he ended up spending 21 games at Triple-A before finishing with .205/.326/.334. Despite concerns over his 24 percent career strikeout rate, teams seem willing to take a chance on his power and patience at the plate.
Murphy is something of the polar opposite of Davis in many respects. He has been a consistent, if unspectacular, performer throughout his career, overcoming a lack of power and walks with consistently good contact. The 28-year-old has hit .290/.333/.424 over his five-year career. After struggling to adapt to second base in 2010 and 2011, Ultimate Zone Rating saw him improving in 2013, though he remains a below-average defender.
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