Mets sign Rajai Davis to Minor League deal
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NEW YORK -- While the Mets continue to seek starting outfield help, they made a move Monday to shore up their depth, signing Rajai Davis to a Minor League deal. He will compete for a job in big league camp.
Davis, 38, has appeared for seven different teams over parts of 13 seasons. He is best known for two things: the game-tying home run he hit off Aroldis Chapman in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, and the speed that has allowed him to steal 415 career bases -- third among active players, behind only José Reyes and Ichiro Suzuki.
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Although Davis is well removed from his best offensive seasons, batting just .224 with one home run and a .559 OPS for Cleveland this year, advanced metrics still peg him as an adequate defender and above-average baserunner who stole 21 bags in 28 chances.
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With the Mets, Davis offers another center-field option behind Juan Lagares, or whomever the Mets acquire to supplant the oft-injured Gold Glover. The team is actively searching for outfield help, with free-agent A.J. Pollock a possibility to sign as their everyday center fielder.
The Mets do not expect Yoenis Céspedes to return from heel surgery until the second half of the season, making their current outfield alignment Michael Conforto, Lagares and Brandon Nimmo from left to right. They have no other healthy outfielders on their 40-man roster, but have talked about using infielders Jeff McNeil and Dominic Smith as backups at the corners.