SF Giants unable to avoid arbitration with corner bat J.D. Davis

The SF Giants were unable to avoid arbitration with third baseman J.D. Davis on Thursday, with each side filing for different salaries.

The SF Giants were unable to avoid arbitration with third baseman J.D. Davis on Thursday. The team filed for Davis' 2024 salary to be $6.55 million while Davis and his representatives filed for a $6.9 million salary, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. The Giants were able to reach settlements with the other remaining arbitration eligible players, agreeing to terms with first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr., second baseman Thairo Estrada, and reliever Tyler Rogers earlier in the day. Regardless of who wins, Davis will receive a significant raise in his final year of arbitration eligibility before becoming a free agent. His salary was $4.21 million in 2023.

SF Giants 3B J.D. Davis makes an error against the Dodgers. (2023) / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Davis, 30, was the primary third baseman for the Giants and saw his stock rise with a solid first half on both sides of the ball. He was maintaining an OPS north of .800 alongside impressive defense. However, he faded over the course of the season, in part because of a myriad of minor injuries. Between July and August, Davis produced a .573 OPS and wasn’t making consistent contact with pitches –– especially fastballs –– in the middle of the plate.

In the end, Davis finished the campaign hitting .248/.325/.413 with 23 doubles and 18 home runs in 546 plate appearances (144 games). He also make notable improvements defensively at third base, where he graded as an above-average defender for the first time in his career.

Davis remains at the center of one of the best trades of Farhan Zaidi's tenure in San Francisco. Relegated to a bench role on the New York Mets, Davis was included in a four-player package that New York sent to San Francisco for Darin Ruf at the 2022 trade deadline. While Ruf would struggle mightily in New York and end up released, Davis emerged as a viable everyday player with the Giants while the trio of pitching prospects (Thomas Szapucki, Carson Seymour, and Nick Zwack) have all had some promising moments in the team's farm system.

The Giants have been consistently tied to free agent third baseman Matt Chapman (#7-ranked free agent), which would leave Davis without a clear spot in the lineup. While he could make an excellent bench bat/backup, it's easy to envision the Giants potentially moving Davis in a trade, especially if they make multiple additions this offseason and prioritize getting below the luxury tax threshold.

This marks the second time since Zaidi became the Giants president of baseball operations that the team will head to arbitration with a player. The team went to arbitration over a $650,000 disparity with infielder Donovan Solano following the 2020 season. Solano's case was the first arbitration hearing the SF Giants had had with a player in nearly 20 years.