The Mets are expected to non-tender first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith prior to tonight’s deadline, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
The news is not shocking now though it would have been two years ago. Smith was a first round draft pick, selected 11th overall by the Mets in 2013. He was one Baseball America’s list of top 100 prospects in the league in 2014, 2016 and 2017. In 2019 and 2020, he delivered on that hype by hitting .299/.366/.571 for a wRC+ of 150 over 139 games. The only problem was that Pete Alonso burst onto the scene at the same time, taking over Smith’s natural first base position. That forced Smith into left field, a position that he wasn’t well-suited to play. His poor work out there on the grass took some of the value away from his strong performance at the plate.
The situation got even worse over the past couple of seasons, as Smith played through a partially torn labrum in his shoulder in 2021 and hit just .244/.304/.363 for a wRC+ of 86. He struggled out of the gates in 2022 while jockeying with J.D. Davis for a role and got optioned to the minors, openly admitting that he felt he would benefit from more playing time. He finished the year with a batting line of .194/.276/.384 in the majors for a 67 wRC+, but a .284/.367/.472 in the minors for a 122 wRC+.
MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected Smith for an arbitration salary of $4MM but it seems the Mets aren’t willing to pay that kind of money for him. If it indeed comes to pass that he is non-tendered, he will make for an intriguing addition to the first base free agent market. It seems like his bat might still be in there and a team willing to give him regular playing time could benefit, especially if they can put him back at his natural home of first base. He has between four and five years of MLB service time, meaning he could be retained for 2024 via arbitration if he has a successful season somewhere in 2023. Once a free agent, he would be competing for jobs with the likes of Jose Abreu, Josh Bell, Trey Mancini and Yuli Gurriel.
Cubs signing announcement in 3… 2… 1. The org has had a hard on for Dom for years. God only knows why. I’d rather have Danny V back at this point.
Like Norman Greenbaums’ “Spirit In The Sky”, a one hit wonder. Sadly he will dissolve in BB history.
about time they dropped him
He needs a change of scenery
I feel like he could’ve and should’ve been traded much earlier. Mets had no room for him on the roster and he had some value before the deadline. They wouldn’t have gotten a lot, but still…wasted opportunity
Not sure he had any value before the deadline this year. He was hitting .194/.276/.284/.560 and had gotten sent to AAA two weeks before the deadline.
The deadline last year, though? He probably could have brought back something. He was only a half season removed from his very productive 2020 COVID season (4th in the NL in OPS+) and was hitting .254/.326/.392/.718. Someone would’ve taken a flyer on him. But this past season,I can’t imagine anyone wanted him because they were definitely shopping him and had no takers.
Yes, like right after the 2020 season. His value has done nothing but decrease since then.
@Von… as usual your spot on brother.
Not a surprise. He hit well enough after he got sent to AAA, but there’s no reason to tender him a $4 million+ contract.
Nice guy awful ball player
He’ll have a renaissance in Pittsburgh next season before getting traded to the Rays in the second half, most likely.
Except they just traded for G man
Like Ike Davis did?
metzfan This bum was drafted 20 spots ahead of…. Aaron Judge.
Preaching to the Choir. I remember posting along with many Mets Fans on the Old MLB Message Board to draft Aaron Judge back in 2013. Not surprised that the Yankees drafted Judge. It all comes out in the Wash they say. LOL
This happened one year after the Mets drafted Gavin Cecchini for SS instead of Corey Seager in 2012. Mets scouts are great at evaluating Talent. NOT
Pretty much every team passed on judge as he was a comp pick and this includes the yankees. How is Eric Jagielo working out for you? How did the yankees pick him over Judge i will never know such a horrible scouting department.
I thought in real time that Aaron Judge was the obvious Draft Choice at # 11 and it was alot of other Met Fans who thought that at the time. It may have been a $ decision paying over slot or the Wilpons looking to lowball the pick.
Looking at Aaron Judge the physical Monster, he had the most Power in the Draft winning HR Contests and his Defense was Exceptional some Speed.
To me he Towered over that year’s Draft Class so I was enamored with him as were many others in the know.
if everyone was so enamored with him why would the team that ended up drafting him pass on him and leave him open for another 5 picks including one team which drafted an outfielder.?
Looking at Aaron Judge since he has entered MLB aren’t his Talents obvious.
Why draft a 1B without Power at # 11 when one can Draft a Giant in Judge?
You still havent answered my actual question. Why draft a 3b without power at 26 when one can Draft a Giant in Judge? This 3b who in the end did not even make it to the majors instead of judge. I would assume the yankees scouting department would have information from the yankees scouting department.
26 Eric Jagielo New York Yankees Third baseman Notre Dame
32 Aaron Judge New York Yankees[Compensation 6] Outfielder Fresno State
especially when right after the 26th pick you had
27 Phillip Ervin Cincinnati Reds Outfielder Samford
a team looking for an outfielder.
Are you going to actually read what i wrote because i did not write anywhere anything about Smith, i wrote that alot of teams INCLUDING THE YANKEES PASSED on judge
I valued Power and Aaron Judge won the College HR Derby and obviously had tons of Power. Defense was plus in RF where arm strength is key. Speed was good not great. Looking at his skill set he projected to be a 30+ HR starting RF Talent. He produced better MVP level.
so what you are saying is the reason the YANKEES DRAFTED ERIC JAGIELO (26th pick) OVER AARON JUDGE (32nd pick) is because YOU (not a member or anyway associated with the yankees organization and armed with hindsight 10 years later) valued Power and Aaron Judge won the College HR Derby and obviously had tons of Power. Defense was plus in RF where arm strength is key. Speed was good not great. Looking at his skill set he projected to be a 30+ HR starting RF Talent. He produced better MVP level.
Got it no further explanation as you will not actually answer the question because you have no answer as to why NEARLY EVERY TEAM INCLUDING THE YANKEES PASSED ON JUDGE with their 1st pick. I am not questioning him being drafted and the yankees getting lucky with him dropping so far. Go on something else why he should have been drafted higher but not why was he drafted so low. He was the 2nd pick of the team that drafted him and could have easily been a Red and never even donned a pinstripe. .
Shall we start the next discussion with maybe why Kurt Warner was never drafted and how you covet arm strength and gritty attitude that was written in his draft card 20+ years ago and you knew he would be a hall of fame qb and win a superbowl and that the rams were geniuses to draft him or same discussion but with tom brady.
@robrock30 ok great you value power in college level players but unless your a scout hired by one of the 30 mlb teams. what you value just like me or anyone else on this site that isn’t employed by the mlb doesn’t mean anything. what flyby is getting at is that in 16 all 30 teams felt like he wasn’t worth a 1st round pick it happens in every draft.
thank you brodie-bruce, i wish i could highlight or bold or italicize in comments sometimes.
@flyby rams didn’t draft warner he came over as a fa after being released from gb iirc. i believe he might have been drafted by atl but like 5-7 so the nfl’s version of a lotto ticket but your point is still valid. i can tell you in 99 no one in stl ever thought that warner was a starting qb much less a future hof’er until about week 6 or 7 and the talk in town that this team might be legit or least above 7-9
no problem flyby it just gets trying hearing about rankings and how we hold them gospel. what a lot of people forget only rankings that matter is the teams current regime values
Warner was never drafted. He was signed by GB as an undrafted FA. in 1994 after graduating from Northern Iowa. Released by GB and signed w/the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League. Played for the Barnstormers from 1995-97. Signed w/the Rams in Dec 1997 and played for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe. Started all 10 games for the Admirals. Rams called him up in 1998. where he spent the year as the backup playing only the final game of the year. “Warner is the only undrafted player to be named NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP, as well as being the only undrafted QB to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory.”
i was being more facetious with the warner draft card but he was never drafted by any team. Him Romo and Gates still amaze me as undrafted but amazing players. See the little diddy on him below.
Per Bleacher report:
Kurt Warner, 1994: Northern Iowa
After graduation, Warner attended the preseason camp for the Green Bay Packers in 1994 and was released before the season started, so he signed with the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League.
After being named to the first team all-AFL twice he was offered a tryout with the Chicago Bears but an infection in his throwing arm kept him from trying out. The next season he was signed by the St. Louis Rams and designated to NFL Europe for a season.
we found the same article Nashville lol
@nash ty you for that my history was a bit fuzzy about warner other than he won at every level he played at.
Lol. Yes we did Fly. Only looked because I’m a Falcons fan and I never remembered him being drafted by Atl, lol. Had to check when brodie said that.
I always liked Warner—partially because I was born in Iowa, lol.
The other 7 contestants in the 2012 derby didn’t pan out in the majors. Scouting is a crapshoot. “I’ve been there at those kitchen tables listening to you tell parents when you know you know ……..and you don’t”
2012 Participants
Daniel Aldrich, Charleston
LB Dantzler, South Carolina
Derek Fisher, Virginia
Tyler Horan, Virginia Tech
Aaron Judge, Fresno State
Mason Katz, LSU
Daniel Palka, Georgia Tech
Zach Stephens, Tennessee Tech
this was also trying to remember stuff from over 20 years ago lol being a teen as well, i only brought it up because i could of sworn i heard or read it somewhere that he was also a falcon, but hey i’ve been wrong before and won’t be the last
how can you not … he was always the underdog and rose to the occasion.
Actual pre draft scouting reports (scouting is a crapshoot)
Baseball America (No. 30 prospect) “Judge puts on jaw-dropping batting practice displays, but some scouts worry that his power won’t translate to games… Judge profiles as a .250 hitter and is going to strike out a lot, which comes with the territory for tall power hitters with long arms. A team can live with the strikeouts if he hits 30-plus home runs a year.”
MLB.com (No. 24 prospect): “Judge’s raw power from the right side of the plate is legitimate and if he can hit consistently enough to tap into it, it could be a plus tool in the future. That ‘if’ might’ve been why he didn’t go earlier, though Judge isn’t an all-or-nothing, one dimensional player.”
Ditto on the “been wrong before” brodie. Too many times to count—especially when using my memory to discuss sports.
@wampum until he and college start using wood bats like the “pros”, it’s always gonna be a crap shoot to determine a players true power, least imo anyways.
@brodie: There was a HOF NFL QB who was drafted by Atlanta and traded to GB after his rookie season—–Brett Favre. Maybe you were thinking about him.
@nash might be right because before 2016 i was a huge nfl fan and farve was one of my favorite players so i can see where info can get misfiled in my brain.
Love the name.
Look for Zaidi to go after Smith and think he’s gotten a significant impact player.
Well, here comes the next Cubs 1st baseman.
Mervis is better.
I wonder if the Pirates are wishing they didn’t acquire Choi now that Dom will be available.
No reason they can’t have both. Someone has to DH, and the Bucs have about 50 slap hitting utility guys and only a few guys with any power.
Hey Dom some advice learn Korean. Bye Bye
More like Taiwanese.
They’re making a big mistake. With the shift gone next year, Dom Smith will be more valuable than Airsoft Fatty (Vogelbach). They need to give him a chance instead of playing him once a week. He can hit righties and lefties
Another overhyped Mets prospect bites the dust.
Dom along with Rosario were the shiny keys the Wilpons had Alderson dangle in front of Mets fans to distract them from the abysmal 2017 season.
Would he be a good fit for Cleveland?