Orioles make perplexing move, sign journeyman infielder from Yankees

As reported by Jon Heyman of the NY Post, the Orioles have come to terms on a deal with veteran infielder JD Davis. Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner later confirmed that Davis will come aboard on a minor league contract, which admittedly helps us make sense of the signing.

Davis hasn't been good this year, struggling with both the Athletics and Yankees ahead of his release last week. Davis initially came into 2024 with the Giants, signing a contract worth nearly $7 million in arbitration.

However, Davis was released by the Giants shortly thereafter, due to San Francisco bringing star third baseman Matt Chapman aboard. Davis then signed a one-year deal with the Athletics, where he hit .236/.304/.336 before getting DFA'd in June.

Davis got just 22 plate appearances with the Yankees before his release. He spent time on the IL with both Oakland and New York, first with an adductor strain and then with an illness. Unfortunately for Davis, he wasn't nearly the version of himself that we've seen in the past and it almost felt surprising that he was able to stay on an MLB roster as long as he did.

JD Davis unlikely to add much to strong Orioles' system

When news broke of his signing, the reaction from Orioles fans was muted, with many hoping that Davis wasn't being considered for the major league roster. Thankfully he'll head into the O's system and serve as a depth piece for now.

His addition to the Norfolk team is fine on its face, but there's little in the way of expectation at this point from the 31 year old. Davis was serviceable at the plate in 2023, a slightly above average hitter with poor defense at third base.

This year in Oakland, Davis spent more time at first, but even there his defense grades out poorly. He'll join a Tides roster that already has prospect TT Bowens and utilityman Garrett Cooper getting time at first.

With Coby Mayo struggling in his first taste of the majors, it's possible that Orioles' GM Mike Elias sees Davis as an emergency option to backfill third in Baltimore if Mayo can't get things going.

With infielders Jordan Westburg and Jorge Mateo currently on the IL and not due back until late September, the O's have been forced to test their infield depth more than they'd have liked to.

Even with the depth being an issue, the O's still have Ramon Urias as a capable third baseman, and Terrin Vavra could theoretically fill in there as well.

With Davis, the Orioles must see something in his approach that they feel they can fix. It's a stretch to say he'd be a viable option for the O's playoff roster, at least given his recent performance. However, if the Orioles can somehow find a way to recreate some of Davis' past success, this could be a worthwhile signing. Until then, it's just a strange depth move that doesn't feel like it moves the needle in either direction.