A'S STAY ACTIVE, DEAL FOR 1B DAVIS
The Oakland Athletics acquired first baseman Ike Davis from the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash.
What does it give the Oakland Athletics
Seemingly firmly in contending mode, the A's are clearly looking to bolster their first base and designated hitter options. The recent signing of righty DH/1B {P Billy Butler} is obviously so far their biggest move with that in mind, but lefty-swinging Davis can also help. He's a solid reclamation project here for Oakland and, if Davis can rediscover the swing that popped 32 homers for the Mets in 2012, this is a coup. At the least, Davis gives Oakland more options and platoon possibilities. To make room for Davis the A's designated outfielder {P=8686 Andrew Brown} for assignment.
What does it give the Pittsburgh Pirates
Moving up from signing bonus slot No. 86 to No. 27 gives the Pirates more money to sign international players. Specifically, it gives Pittsburgh roughly $270,000 more to offer to the international players they're looking to ink. That's not much in return for a player with Davis's talent, but they additionally save salary money here by moving him. Plus, Davis didn't really fit in with Pittsburgh after the team decided to move fellow lefty slugger {P Pedro Alvarez} to first base (with {P Josh Harrison} taking over at third).
Fantasy impact
For Oakland this deal further muddles the first base/DH situation fantasy-wise: {P Stephen Vogt} (who also plays catcher and outfield) is in the mix to start at first base, and behemoth sluggers {P Nate Freiman} and {P Kyle Blanks} remain on the radar too. The sizable contract the A's gave Butler suggests he's a lock to start everyday at either DH or 1B, so Davis's arrival more likely affects Vogt, Freiman and Blanks. They'll sort it out in spring training, but it's a nice depth move for Oakland (if not an appealing one fantasy-wise). For the Pirates, this move probably guarantees everyday at-bats for the streaky Alvarez in Pittsburgh, just as much as it further entrenches Harrison at the hot corner.
