Giants trade Ruf to Mets for J.D. Davis, prospects originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SAN FRANCISCO — Darin Ruf again is on the move.
The Giants sent their lefty-masher to the New York Mets on Tuesday in exchange for veteran J.D. Davis, left-hander Thomas Szapucki and two prospects. The young players coming back are lefty Nick Zwack and right-hander Carson Seymour, both of whom are in A-ball.
SNY’s Andy Martino first reported the deal.
Ruf was an extremely popular player in the Giants’ clubhouse, and has crushed lefties since signing with the team in 2020. However, he was a bit miscast this season as an every-day player, and the Giants hope to get better defensively for the rest of this season and beyond.
Ruf had such a successful 2021 season that the Giants gave him a two-year contract this spring, but he’ll now finish it with the Mets, who are loading up for the postseason.
Davis, 29, primarily has played third base and designated hitter for the Mets this season. Like Ruf, he also can play some left field and first base.
Davis had a .683 OPS with four homers overall with the Mets this season, but he does have a .781 career OPS, and had a strong 2021. He figures to see some time at third as the Giants wait for Evan Longoria to return.
Davis should be comfortable in San Francisco, as he’s an Elk Grove native. He’ll be arbitration eligible this winter.
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Szapucki has made just two big league appearances, and he’s spent most of this year as a starter in Triple-A. The Giants have very little rotation depth in the upper minors, and it’s also possible they will see if the lefty can fix the glaring hole in their bullpen.
Zwack, 24, has a 2.36 ERA in A-ball this season with a high strikeout rate. Seymour, 23, also has piled up strikeouts and has a 2.76 ERA.