Ike Davis acknowledged this weekend that he hid an oblique injury from Mets officials last season. "I thought about saying, 'Hey, I would like to take a couple of weeks off, because I'm not feeling great,'" Davis said. "But then the timing was bad and it was when I was getting sent down. It would have been a great time, but it looks bad and I just can't say that." Adam Rubin of ESPN New York surmises that this admission might not sit well with the Mets' front office and could accelerate trade talks. The Orioles and Pirates are among the teams that have expressed interest in Davis this winter.

Mets manager Terry Collins said that Ike Davis has "really quieted down" his swing. "His swing is absolutely different than it was last year," Collins said. "He's really quieted down all the action he had at home plate. He knows he needed to do it. The batting practices are outstanding." Davis has always had a big hitch in the load of his swing and is apparently, at the very least, trying to lessen it. It's no surprise that the first baseman is open to altering his approach after a season where he hit just .205/.326/.334 with nine homers over 103 games.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Orioles remain interested in Ike Davis.

ESPN's Jayson Stark reports that the Pirates "continue to monitor" Mets first baseman Ike Davis. The Pirates have been linked to free agent first baseman Kendrys Morales, but they are also monitoring the trade market. Davis is a logical target, as the Mets actively shopped him during the offseason, but Stark writes that Justin Smoak of the Mariners and Mitch Moreland of the Rangers could also become available in the coming weeks.

Mets manager Terry Collins said Wednesday he hopes to get Ike Davis 80 to 100 at-bats during spring training. "I think it's very, very important to try to get him in midseason form when the season starts," Collins said. "A lot of guys leave spring training and have 50, 60 at-bats. I might get him 80 to 100 this spring just to make sure he's ready to go when we start." Davis is a notoriously slow starter, culminating with his demotion to the minors after a slow start last season. There's no research that's shown that getting more at-bats in March will help a player get into midseason form sooner, but the strategy can't hurt. The 26-year-old will compete with Lucas Duda for the first base job this spring.

Mets manager Terry Collins told Kevin Kernan of the New York Post that the competition for first base is "wide open." Ike Davis and Lucas Duda will battle it out for the job, but if they both stumble, Collins isn't opposed to moving Daniel Murphy to first base and playing Eric Young, Jr. at second base. The Mets will give Davis every opportunity to run away with the job, as Collins said he'll get 90 at-bats in the spring.

Mets and 1B Ike Davis avoided arbitration with a one-year, $3.5 million contract. Davis, who was arbitration-eligible for the second time this winter, earned $3.125 million last season while hitting just .205/.326/.334 with nine home runs and 33 RBI over 103 games. The Mets have shopped him this offseason and there's still a chance something could get done prior to spring training, but he'll be in the mix at first base assuming he sticks around.

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com this week that he's not "actively involved" in trade discussions involving Ike Davis. It's no secret that the Mets have discussed trade scenarios involving both Davis and Lucas Duda this winter, but Alderson isn't going to give either of them away and is now prepared to go into spring training with both of them. "We're not going to move Ike just to move Ike -- or any other player for that matter," said Alderson. "This is a trade market, not a yard sale, and right now we're perfectly happy to go into Spring Training with Davis and Duda both on the team. Frankly, we're not that actively engaged in trade discussions involving Ike at this point. I think that underscores our willingness to go into camp with both." While Alderson hasn't found an offer to his liking yet, there's always the chance that things will change in the coming weeks. For now, first base remains a big question for the Mets.

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin told Adam McCalvy of MLB.com that he has had "ongoing discussions" with Mets general manager Sandy Alderson about a trade for a first baseman. While Melvin didn't mention the player by name, the Brewers have been linked to Ike Davis as far back as before the Winter Meetings. However, Melvin said neither side has found a deal they are comfortable with. The Mets are asking for right-hander Tyler Thornburg in return while the Brewers would prefer to deal a position player.

According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, the Mets are no longer actively shopping first baseman Ike Davis. Rubin notes that they could always reengage in trade talks before the season begins, they currently expect Davis to be with the club when spring training opens in Port St. Lucie in February. The 26-year-old slugger has maintained that his preference is to remain with the Mets.