The Oakland Athletics have a choice to make over the offseason when it comes to slugger Khris Davis. Do they sign him long-term or do they trade him?
They could use pitching both in the starting rotation and the bullpen and he’d be a great trade piece to dangle, but they could also use his 40-plus home runs a season. His leadership and veteran status, at least compared to his younger teammates, is also necessary.
Khris aka “Khrush” Davis became just the second Athletics player in franchise history, dating all the way back to Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx in Philadelphia, to have back-to-back 40 home run seasons. Davis hit 42 homers in 2016 and bested that total with 43 in 2017.
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It’s a pretty incredible feat considering Davis looks nothing like the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge or the Miami Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton, who stand 6’7″ and 6’6″ respectively.
Davis is just 5’10” and 195 lbs, yet he can hit the ball as far as the rest of the league’s sluggers even in the large confines of the Oakland Coliseum and despite the marine layer that sets in in his home stadium every night.
However, Davis’ small frame leaves him with a relatively weak arm. The only two positions he can play proficiently are left field and serving as the team’s designated hitter.
The A’s already have the young power-hitting Ryon Healy spending the majority of the time at the DH position. Prospect Renato Nunez had been playing some left field this summer.
The A’s infield is stacked with power-hitting youngsters, most notably Matt Olson, Matt Chapman and Chad Pinder, who also has been stellar defensively in the outfield. Like Davis they don’t hit for the best average and tend to rack up strikeouts but there is plenty of power there.
With so many young players on their way up, it begs the question – do the A’s keep Khris Davis and sign him long-term?
The answer should be a resounding “yes,” despite the team being a bit crowded and, as always, on a budget. Still, things are beginning to change in Oakland and the team has committed to building a new ballpark and keeping its some of its star players.
Davis is hands down one of those star players, at the moment he may be THE star player on the A’s. He has endeared himself to the fans, professing his love for the city and people of Oakland on more than one occasion. He’s in love with a place where some players would rather not play (yes, I’m talking to you especially, Matt Holliday).
"“I love this town, and my teammates and our amazing fans.I mean, my crew in the left field bleachers has drums that they beat on, and they scream my name all game long. (Much respect to the left field crew!)” ~ Khris Davis, The Players’ Tribune"
For one thing, it would likely be cheaper overall to keep the slugger for the longer-term. He made just $524,500 and that was bumped up, via arbitration, to $5 million for 2017 after his 42 homer, 102 RBI season. Given that he bested that by one home run and an extra eight RBI in 2017, Davis is due for another big raise.
The A’s usual reaction to a player having great seasons and getting expensive in arbitration is to sell high and trade for the future. However, it appears the future is already arriving and Davis is a part of it.
Last season the A’s were players in the game to sign Edwin Encarnacion, who understandably, ended up signing with the Cleveland Indians. Khris Davis may not be the most perfect fit for the team, but he’s an established star and leader in Oakland.
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Signing Davis to a multi-year deal, past his 2020 free agent year, would be a show of good faith to the Athletics’ loyal fans. It would prove that the Oakland Athletics are really going in a new direction and it should add another 40 or so home runs to their team stats next season and the season after that.