With the trade deadline finally passed, the New York Mets made a move for a bat. They acquired first baseman and left fielder Darin Ruf from the San Francisco Giants.
Ruf is batting .216 on the year with 11 home runs and 38 runs batted in. Over the prior two years, Ruf did bat over .270 for the Giants. He complements recently added designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach.
The two will platoon as Vogelbach will be in the order against right-handers. Ruf will help the Mets lineup against left-handers. This year against lefties, Ruf is batting .252 with nine home runs.
Ruf turned 36 years old last week. In this deal, the Mets parted with J.D. Davis. The Mets also dealt Thomas Szapucki and minor league pitchers Nick Zwack and Carson Seymour.
While this is not the bat Mets fans were hoping for, Ruf does provide an upgrade over Davis. This year, Davis’ level of play dropped off fairly significantly. After batting .307 in 2019, .247 in 2020, and .285 last year, Davis is batting .238. Against lefties, Davis is batting .223 with two home runs in 2022.
Hopefully, Ruf can give the Mets lineup a boost against left-handed pitching. His .252 average with nine home runs is a clear upgrade in the lineup over Davis. With the Mets’ recent hitting success, Ruf should add to it as a deep playoff run is expected.