New York Mets Acquire Darin Ruf From Giants For J.D. Davis, Prospects

The New York Mets and San Francisco Giants linked up leading up to the 6 p.m. deadline on Tuesday, with the Mets adding right-handed hitter Darin Ruf in exchange for J.D. Davis, and a trio of prospects

The Mets finally broke their trade deadline silence on Tuesday, as they acquired first baseman/outfielder Darin Ruf from the San Francisco Giants, according to Andy Martino of SNY. Joel Sherman of the New York Post was first on reporting the Giants return.

Mets trading JD David for Ruf per source

— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) August 2, 2022

Nick Zwack and Carson Seymour are A-level pitchers going with JD Davis and Thomas Szapucki for Darin Ruf.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) August 2, 2022

Infielder J.D. Davis as well as left-hander Thomas Szapucki and pitching prospects Nick Zwack and Carson Seymour are heading to San Francisco in the deal.

Ruf, 36, has hit to a .216/.328/.373 clip this year in 90 games. However, he has done well against left-handed pitching, with nine of his home runs coming against southpaws. 

Going the other way is J.D. Davis, who has been with the Mets since 2019.

Davis, 29, has struggled this season to a .238/.324/.359 clip, with a .305 wOBA and 102 wRC+. However, Davis dealt with a hand injury last year, and is reportedly still getting strength back in it. 

Tim Healey of Newsday reported Tuesday that doctors told Davis the recovery on his hand could take 10-12 months, and he is coming up on 10 months. 

Szapucki, 26, had just one outing with the Mets this year, which came against the Giants. In 1 1/3 innings, the lefty yielded nine runs and was sent back to the minors immediately after.

Szapucki has fared better at Triple-A Syracuse than his lone outing in the majors this year, and has recently pitched out of the bullpen. 

As a reliever, Szapucki can be an appealing lottery ticket to take a chance on, as his fastball velocity has seen an uptick this year, and he's finally healthy, after a pro career that has been riddled with injuries.

Zwack, 24, has had a stellar year with Single-A Brooklyn, going 5-1 with a 1.84 ERA in 14 games (13 started). His fastball was also topping out at 96 mph.

Seymour, 23, had a 2.76 ERA between St. Lucie and Brooklyn this year, after being selected in the sixth round of last year's draft.

Both Zwack and Seymour were likely trending towards being Top 30 prospects for the Mets in the near future.

The Mets will likely pair Ruf with Daniel Vogelbach as DH platoon partners. Ruf's .886 OPS against lefties will pair well with Vogelbach, who has historically hit right-handers better.