Ike Davis in Port St. Lucie?

Everyone assumed Ike Davis would be a goner by now. But he could make it all the way to Spring Training with the Mets, and perhaps beyond.

“We’re still talking to a number of teams,” Sandy Alderson told the New York Post on Tuesday. “I can’t say anything will happen. If we don’t get what we want in return, we’ll have to think of other options, which would be to wait or even to go into Spring Training with more than one (first basemen).”

The Brewers are still apparently an option, with Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin even mentioning Davis by name, which is surprising.

“Ike Davis is the one player people talk about,” Melvin told the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. “Other than that, there’s not much available.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement of Ike Davis.

Mets Blog points out that even if Davis were to appear in Port. St. Lucie, it does not mean he will make the trip to Flushing. The Mets could buy out his expected $4 million contract for around $600,000 before the season starts.

I would expect that if Ike Davis is not traded and he performs poorly in the spring, that is what would happen. Why spend $4 million on a player if he cannot even perform in exhibition games?

I do think, however, that the Mets will eventually work out a deal with the Brewers. Melvin is playing this smart, knowing Alderson really wants to unload Davis and his salary and will blink, taking a lesser prospect.