ATLANTA — J.D. Davis’ gut tells him there’s a strong chance he’s played his final game for the Mets.
The Mets third baseman, who is set for Tuesday surgery to stabilize a ligament in his left hand — he spent the last week on the injured list — realizes changes are about to occur in the organization and he could be among them.
“From my gut feeling, I could be out of here — that’s kind of where it’s leaning toward,” said Davis, who placed his odds of returning at 50-50. “But there is a possibility I could come back. I love New York. I love the fans and I love the city, so I don’t know, it’s a flip of the coin.”
Davis spent 2 ½ months on the IL with the ligament damage in the hand, returning after the All-Star break and trying to play through flare-ups. He was eventually displaced as the starter at third base by Jonathan Villar. Davis said he learned in mid-September that surgery would be required on the hand. In 73 games, Davis owned a .285/.384/.436 slash line with five homers and 23 RBIs.
The Mets actively sought a third baseman last winter but, when nothing materialized, gave Davis another opportunity. He joins impending free agent Michael Conforto, and players under club control such as Jeff McNeil and Dominic Smith could be traded. Others headed to free agency include Javier Baez, Marcus Stroman and Aaron Loup.
“We look around, and we hold each other very accountable, and we love each other, and it’s going to be different,” Davis said.
Noah Syndergaard allowed two runs on three hits over 16 pitches in his second one-inning appearance as the opener. He was limited to fastballs and changeups (as he was medically advised for this season) and topped out at 95 mph. The Mets have to decide whether they will extend a qualifying offer to Syndergaard after the season or try to sign him for less as a free agent. The qualifying offer amount for this season was $18.9 million, but that figure is expected to decrease this offseason.
“It would be a tough pill to swallow not wearing a Mets jersey next year,” Syndergaard said. “I’m going to try not to focus too much on it.”
Loup did not pitch and finished with a 0.95 ERA — a Mets record among pitchers who worked at least 50 innings in a season.