The Mariners have outrighted outfielder Mallex Smith to Triple-A Tacoma, the team announced. Smith is now out of their 60-man player pool.
This is the latest setback in the Seattle tenure for Smith, whom the team acquired from the Rays in a trade centering on him and catcher Mike Zunino heading into 2019. Smith was then coming off a highly valuable season as a member of the Rays, with whom he slashed .296/.367/.406 with 40 stolen bases and 3.5 fWAR across 544 plate appearances. For the most part, though, Smith hasn’t come close to replicating those numbers in Seattle. While the 27-year-old Smith has chipped in 48 steals as a Mariner, it hasn’t made up for his shortcomings at the plate. He batted an abysmal .220/.290/.323 with minus-0.5 fWAR over 613 trips to the plate before the M’s outrighted him.
Because of the struggles he has endured in Seattle, Smith has seemingly been out of the team’s plans for a few weeks. He hasn’t played in the majors since Aug. 15, and the Mariners optioned him to their alternate training site Aug. 18. Now, with the offseason nearing and Smith possessing enough service time to opt for free agency, it’s possible he won’t suit up for the Mariners again.
Shame to see someone as talented as this guy not be able to put it together.
More than running track in baseball. Ask Billy Hamilton.
They hit in the minors… just doesn’t make sense why it doesn’t click at all in the majors
Guys with no power often produce worse in the majors, because their OBP tanks when they face guys who can reliably throw strikes and feel zero reason not to. Extremely fast guys also have their BABIPs go down against big league fielding.
His batting coach who lives in St. Pete and works with hundreds of major league ball players couldn’t help him in Seattle. But he put him on the map when he was with the Rays. This guy got offered millions this past off-season to be the hitting coach for a big league team and he turned it down. That’s why so many players hit well with Tampa and struggle when they leave. You should see his house during spring training. Unreal as to how many stars come hit with him. It’s an honor to be invited to his house. I’m lucky to have him in my back yard as a hitting coach for my kids.
I was ahead of the curve; dropped him from a Fantasy team 30 games ago.
I was even more ahead of the curve. I never picked him for my fantasy team.
Shoots! Scores!
Can’t speak on anything with a name like that
This was the correct drafting strategy.
Thanks. My annual draft strategy can be found on my blog – creedthoughts.gov.www/creedthoughts.
Questionable link is…questionable.
Its a reference from ‘The Office.’ I had hoped that someone would have got the reference. Its not a real link.
Creed Bratton?
@norah – winner winner chicken dinner!
let’s just pretend we are talking about something until the comment police leave
He doesn’t seem to have a spot in the Mariners future. Lewis, Kelenic, Rodriguez, Trammell, and Haniger (if he ever returns) are all ahead if him.
Rays win another trade
Rays won both Mallex Smith trades with the Mariners. Mallex Smith for Drew Smyly and then Mike Zunino for Mallex Smith.
Could the Rays possibly bring him back?
Was there really a winner here? More like mutally assured destruction.
Spot on!
Z’s Willy story is messed up. They throw em and he can’t hit em…Rays throw em and he catches em…
Well could see the pirates grab him. At worst he can be a camp body for the unknown CF
I’d be really surprised if the Ms don’t give him one more chance to find his swing. Sure, it’s possible he never suits up for the Mariners again, but it’s also possible he grabs a 4th OF spot. This move was more about creating a space for one of the multitude of new RPs we picked off the scrap heap than releasing Smith
Austin Hedges’ son?
Chone Figgins thinks Mallex struggled.
Chone Figgins could hit
Not in seattle he couldn’t
Gosh, I can’t believe signing a guy with a speed-based game to a long term deal after 30 didn’t work out.
someone will give him a look. his approach changed when he went to Sea. he became a fly ball guy looking to show off some more power. that’s just not who he is.
Yankees come and get Mallex you desperately need some team speed
But can Marcus Thames teach him how to hit .260? (The new era Mendoza line)
My real line is 215.I have been cheated for forty years.
Lifetime, yeah. But you finished under .200 several times. Manos de seda though I hear.
I think the new Mendoza line is a .300 OBP.
You can’t steal first base.
Nerds!
The Pirates need Maalox, not Mallex…..
The fact that he wasn’t just outrighted to the alternate training site but directly to the minors and out of the 60-man player pool shows just how far he’s fallen. M’s fans thought he was the leadoff hitter for the next 5-6 years. But as Willy Taveras found out: you can’t steal first base. He kept trying to muscle up on the ball, but he should have been adopting the Willie Mays Hays approach (push-ups for flyouts.) He also made a lot of mental mistakes in the field. Demoting him a few times didn’t help. He simply was not the same player that he was in Tampa Bay. Could it be that he took advantage of the legal pot available in Washington State? Regardless, the acquisition was an abject failure, mitigated only by the subtraction of Mike Zunino and the addition of Jake Fraley.
Did Mallex get exposed to waivers when he was outrighted? Did every team pass on claiming him?
No, Mariner fans didn’t think he was their leadoff man for the next 5-6 years. Most thought he was a stopgap who might stick around as the fourth outfielder in a best-case scenario. Most fans envisioned an outfield featuring 4 or 5 of Rodriguez/Kelenic/Lewis/Haniger/Fraley/Bishop on the active roster.
He wasn’t going to be tendered a contract this offseason even if he hit for average, though. He wasn’t good enough defensively to justify the third year arbitration price and Seattle has other players deserving of an opportunity.
That said, his lack of power helped do him in. His exit velocity dropped to around 83. He had zero barrels this year.
A former Padre high prospect that management knew well enough to trade. I’d say they’re a good judge of potential. Ok, I know they lost Max Fried in the deal but we can’t win them all.
San Diego has done an amazing job putting a team on the field they didn’t develop. Outside of Tatis who spent significant time in their organization after being acquired, I don’t think they have a single other player in the field that they developed. They all came via trade or free agency.
Ah Seattle, where bats go to die.
Well, that’s incorrect.
Like Austin Nola, Dylan Moore, JP Crawford, Mitch Haniger, Tom Murphy, Omar Narvaez, Edwin Encarnacion, Jay Bruce, Nelson Cruz, Robinson Cano, Jean Segura, Denard Span, Ben Gamel, even newly acquired Ty France who just hit a 446 HR and has been excellent since arriving?
Those are players Seattle has had over the last 3 years that have had success and all came from other organizations. They’ve had their misses, but things have changed and that has been especially evident over the last two years.
Not too surprising. He’s not shown a lot of focus when he was up with the club. With all the outfield depth the Mariners have, he’s gotta be way down the chart.
With Dylan Moore in the fold until 2025 at least (Arbitration Eligible in 2022 & FA Eligible in 2025) there’s no reason to keep a guy around who can steal bases but can’t him top level pitching. As VKM says, “Best of luck in your future endeavors.”
Seattle is tied with San Diego for the lead in team SB’s, both teams currently have 42. each.
Smith had just 2 of those.
I anticipate Moore leading off next season. He has been cutting down on the strikes and taking more walks (and pitches per PA). It will get interesting when Trammell and Marte eventually make their way up. They have elite speed. Clase is another one.
Dylan Moore has kind of been flying under the radar, but he leads the team in wRC+ as well as SB’s. He’s been caught 4 times, but he’s learning. He’s second in HR’s and doubles.
Mallex was a bust, but trade ended up not being all that bad for M’s with Zunino’s struggles continuing offensively and M’s adding guys like Narvaez, Nola and Murphy to replace him, who have ALL been more valuable than Zunino+Mallex combined! Got 2 prospects for Narvaez, couple more young, even better prospects for Nola and Murph is still in the future plans as a solid all-around catcher! Addition by subtraction there, too bad Mallex couldn’t have helped us more/trade bait, but all in all not as lop-sided as it looks, as we also swapped Fraley for Heredia in that deal! Go M’s!!!
Plassmeyer went to Tampa in that deal as well. But it really looks like a wash right now. Though Zunino’s defense has been stellar, his bat got worse and he’s getting paid well through arbitration. He’s probably going to be non-tendered this offseason.
Soon to be joined by Shed Long.
As a side not it’s so smokey in Seattle because of all of Rick Rizz’s “holy smokes” calls this year for Kyle Lewis