The Blue Jays have acquired outfielder Mallex Smith from the Reds, per Baseball America’s Chris Hilburn-Trenkle. Presumably, as is the case with most post-deadline swaps, the Jays simply sent cash back to Cincinnati in return.
Smith was eligible to be traded by virtue of the fact that he’s playing the 2021 season on a minor league deal and had not been summoned to the Majors or previously outrighted by another club this season. The 28-year-old opened the season on a minor league deal with the Mets but didn’t appear in a game for them. He suffered a broken foot early in his tenure with the organization and was cut loose in mid-June. He signed with Cincinnati quickly thereafter and was soon ready to suit up for the Reds’ top affiliate in Louisville.
It hasn’t been an especially productive season so far for Smith in Triple-A, as he’s posted just a .231/.296/.292 batting line in 22 games and 71 plate appearances since healing up enough to take the field. He’s swiped four bases in six tries with Louisville, and his ability to continue piling up those steals is his primary asset.
From 2017-19, Smith batted .262/.332/.367 in 356 games with the Rays and Mariners, connecting on 10 home runs, 54 doubles, 23 triples and stealing 102 bags in 128 attempts (79.7 percent). He posted back-to-back 40-steal seasons in 2018-19 — including a ’19 season in which his 46 stolen bases led all of Major League Baseball.
Smith isn’t likely to be an immediate option for the Jays in the outfield. Toronto has Lourdes Gurriel Jr., George Springer, Teoscar Hernandez, Corey Dickerson and Randal Grichuk all on the Major League roster at the moment, so outfield isn’t exactly a position of need. That said, rosters will expand to 28 players in September, and Smith will not only provide some cover in the event of injuries but also a potential pinch-running and defensive specialist if the Jays see fit to use one of those extra roster spots in that manner.
good to have speed for the stretch run.
He’ll be the 1st to the shower lol
Yep. But to say Smith is a defensive asset is a bit of a stretch. Anyone who watched him in Tampa or Seattle knows that his routes to fly balls are understood only by him and God. But he makes up for it with his speed. In other words, Carl Crawford Part Deux. Also, career SB ratio is only 77%, which isn’t bad, nor is it especially good.
Nice AAA player.
Four-time all star and gold glove winner Carl Crawford? The guy with 39 war, best Rays player in the team’s history? Yeah, the two are exactly alike. Insert eyeroll.
Evan Longoria is the best player in the history of that franchise.
Was thinking more billy hamilton endy chavez.
He was comparing just his defensive ability to Carl Crawford. Not any other aspect of his game, but keep rolling your eyes like a 14 year old girl.
Longoria has a lot to say about that bud
LMAO! He is not, was not, nor will ever be considered the Rays best player all time!
Bob I was wondering how he would be D specialist myself. If you take his TB stats away and use Seattle’s stats it looks more like his AAA numbers. His circuitous routes to fly balls did make for some decent catches. The ones a little above avg OF would be waiting for. Good luck BJ fans you better hope he is a pinch runner and nothing else.
“We need speed! Speed’s what we need! Greasy fast speed!” -Mickey, “Rocky 2”
“I feel like a Kentucky fried idioit”
“Whatsa matter, you can’t catch a little chicken???”
Maybe Springer’s injury isn’t so mild?
They still have Grichuk and Dickerson as OF depth so most likely has zero to do with Springer and more as a potential pinch runner in September
Replaces Jonathon Davis on the depth chart
I don’t think they expected Davis to get claimed. Mallex Smith is indeed a replacement, probably a downgrade too at this point, which really isnt saying much
Not in respects to being a pinch runner
He can’t hit but he’s got speed and sufficient D.
When it comes to Mallex Smith, I always think of how high Dan O’Dowd was on him. I guess even DOD can be wrong sometimes.
Hmm, I wondered what happened to that guy. I didn’t wonder enough to actually look it up, but I guess I mildly wondered.
I can only see him come in as a PR in the top of the 10th.
He is simply not a very good player but is fine as a bench piece I guess.
He’s a good ball player. He’s worth a spot on the right team. Bench role or gap filler for a contender, or a gap filler for a rebuilding team
Sorry bud almost 2 years watching him you are wrong. Frustrating in the OF and awful at the plate. When he was lucky to get on was fun though. Only ABs I could see him get is 2 outs in extra innings let him make last out then start on 2nd. He will be on 3rd in a few pitches.
Think of it as Jonathan Davis and cash for Mallex Smith. He is just a piece
Anyone who watches jay games will appreciate this guy coming in as a defensive replacement for Gurriel when it’s late and they have lead. The BP blows enough leads, maybe the tighter defense will help them.
Jays bench when Biggio is back is Dickerson or Grichuk, Espinal, Kirk or McGuire .
Zero speed off the bench to be used late in games. This essentially takes Davis’ spot as a Sept call up for expanded roster. Despite Davis’ speed he is not a great base runner/stealer.
Not significant! Again typical Jays at a “critical time” a run for the playoff’s fishing around the edges! We need meaningful “bats”
Uh, the trade deadline has passed. These are the only types of additions a team can make. They also made some pretty significant “win now” trades at the deadline. But yeah, keep pushing that false narrative.
I hope he was just trying to be funny
I hope too but as a Jay’s fan we get spoon fed a bunch hooey about how the teams a play off contender blah blah blah theirs no real objective coverage, seen as the station covering them is owned by the same Corp that owns the team. it’s not defensively sound enough and lacks a true ace. Not to mention they heavily rely on home runs like always, and fail to string together at bats to move the line up along when they’re not mashing. Completely ignoring their middling bullpen.
There’s a ton of wrong in your comment.
Maybe look up the offensive stats as well as the injuries to the bullpen.
Matching a bunch of hooey with even more hooey
Smith could be what Dalton Pompey was in 2015: a guy who makes the roster in September and even the postseason if applicable to exclusively serve as a pinch runner. Probably running for Kirk most of the time, and acting as the 10th inning runner on 2nd. Maybe he’ll steal 2 bases in the 9th inning of the final game of the ALCS while representing the tying run.
Last out goes to 2nd you don’t get to pick.
You do get to pick, it’s called inserting a pinch runner and it’s something managers frequently do when they have more than a 3 man bench. It doesn’t matter much who you’re taking out, because the game is very unlikely to go another 2-3 innings to bring him to the plate again.
Dalton Pompey, Anthony Alford, Jonathan Davis, Dwight Smith Jr., Blue Jays have had some luck recently developing Infielders but developing Outfielders has been brutal
The Athletics in the 1970’s had Herb Washington. The Yankees this year were hoping for the same out of Tim Locastro but he got hurt and is gone for the season, so Jonathan Davis was their next choice. Speed puts pressure on the defense, and that’s how the Royals made the Mets look so helpless in the 2015 World Series. It can change how the defense lines up. It can change how the pitcher pitches, the catcher sets up. It isn’t just about whether they steal a base or get thrown out. It is about the potential to run, whether someone goes first to third on a single depending on who the outfielder is and his arm strength and accuracy. Nice trade for nothing lost.
I means it’s not hard to be better defensively than Hernandez and gurriel. But I think the fact he bats from the left side and has better base running than both the previously mentioned players helps too, especially in those extra inning situations.