The Baltimore Orioles have signed infielder J.D. Davis to a minor league deal, according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post on X, with additional details from Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner. Davis, who was released by the Yankees last week, is expected to report to Triple-A Norfolk in the coming days.
J.D Davis leaves Yankees for Orioles
Davis, 31, entered the 2024 season following a five-year stretch as an above-average hitter at the major league level. However, this year has been challenging and marked by disappointment.
During the offseason, J.D Davis and the San Francisco Giants went through an arbitration hearing, which Davis won, securing a $6.9 million salary instead of the $6.5 million the team had offered. Despite this victory, it proved hollow as arbitration salaries are only guaranteed if a hearing is avoided. The Giants exploited this by signing Matt Chapman and Blake Snell late in the free agency period, pushing Davis out of his role as the team’s regular third baseman. As a result, the Giants released him, paying him just 30 days of termination pay, approximately $1.1 million.
Davis then entered a sluggish free agent market and signed a $2.5 million deal with the Oakland Athletics—significantly less than what he was slated to earn in San Francisco. His stint with Oakland was marred by a right adductor strain that landed him on the injured list for a couple of weeks. He struggled upon his return, hitting .236/.304/.366 with a 96 wRC+ before being designated for assignment in June.
The Yankees acquired Davis but gave him limited playing time. Over a month on the roster, he battled an illness and appeared in only seven games, hitting just .105/.227/.158. Before the trade deadline, the Yankees designated him for assignment and, unable to find a trade partner, ultimately released him. Since Davis has more than five years of major league service time, he could have rejected an outright assignment while retaining the remainder of his salary, so the Yankees opted to release him outright.
Despite a rough season, signing Davis is a low-risk move for the Orioles. From 2019 to 2023, he posted a solid .268/.352/.443 slash line with a 120 wRC+, indicating he was 20% better than the league average hitter during that time. With the Yankees still responsible for the remainder of his salary, the Orioles would only need to pay Davis the prorated major league minimum if they call him up to the big league roster.
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