After signing Cody Bellinger to a one-year, $17.5MM deal today, the Cubs could wind up landing another left-handed power bat, with Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reporting the team has had discussions with Dominic Smith at the Winter Meetings. Smith is a free agent after the Mets non-tendered him.
Smith has struggled in the past two seasons, playing through a partially torn labrum last year and never got going in 2022, as he battled for playing time with J.D. Davis and ultimately found himself optioned to the minor leagues. He finished 2022 with a .194/.276/.284 batting line without a single home run, good for a well below average 67 wRC+.
With that being said, Smith has showed plenty of promise over his career, and has been the victim of circumstance in some regards. The 27-year-old was drafted 11th overall in 2013 and regularly featured on top-100 prospect lists as he came through the minors. He received some time in the majors in 2017 and 2018, but showed his offensive promise in 2019, when he slashed .282/.355/.525 with 11 home runs in 197 plate appearances. That also happened to be the same year Pete Alonso burst onto the stage, and forced Smith to spend time in left field, where he graded out poorly defensively.
Boosted by the presence of the DH in the National League in 2020, Smith continued hitting in that pandemic-shortened season, slashing .316/.377/.616 with ten home runs. Yet things tailed off in 2021 as injury sapped his power, and Smith has never really been able to get another look in and the Mets opted to non-tender instead of paying him a projected $4MM arbitration salary.
While his 2022 numbers won’t drive much interest, he’d make sense for teams willing to take a flier on him rediscovering his plentiful upside. Of course, one of the problems Smith faced in New York was a lack of regular playing time, so while times may see him as a high-upside bench bat, he may be more inclined to seek out opportunities where he can start, at least initially.
The Cubs currently have Matt Mervis and Alfonso Rivas penciled into the first base and designated hitter slots, so there’s certainly room there for them to add a player like Smith. The Cubs have also held long-standing interest in him, as DiComo adds that the Cubs discussed a trade with the Mets this past summer involving Smith. The Rays and Royals have both shown interest in Smith earlier this off-season as well.
Left handed power bat? That’s certainly not Smith.
In the 2020 short season, he was 13th in MVP voting. with an OPS+ of 168. Will Smith ever be that again, I don’t know.
And that’s definitely proven to be an outlier/fluke based on the rest of his career.
Physical injuries and mental health issues could have dragged down 2021 and 2022. In addition to 2020, he was good in the juiced ball year of 2019.
46 HRs in his first 1200 at bats. Would prefer Yuli Gurriel on a one year deal, but if Mervis is the guy, Yuli will cost too much as a backup
He was just as good in 2019
I like Mervis for Opening Day.
But I like signing Dominic Smith as Plan B.
Go, Cubs!
Belli plays first too. When Morel or Velasquez is in CF Belli can play 1st and Mervis can DH or vice versa. I love all that people talking spit about Bellinger getting signed. (Probably mostly Cards fans) I said it a good dozen times on the Twitter and once on here. A change of scenery for Bellinger will be good for him.
I don’t hate this
I don’t care how bloated this off season’s deals have been- there’s no way Dominic Smith gets more than an $850K-$2M flyer contract, if that.
I would love a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite, but I think, yeah, he gets a guaranteed major league deal around $2. million to $5 million for one year.
Worth a flyer provided it’s a very team friendly contract.
A torn labrum must suck when swinging a bat.
To me this looks more like a question of health than talent.
They need a RH bat to team with Mervis not a bad LH bat. Doesn’t make a lot of sense unless he still has minor league options left.
Although probably better at 1B, Smith has logged OF innings as well. And we all know the Cubs affinity at multi position guys.
Mervis did OK vs LHP last year. Cubs aren’t going anywhere, they may as well let him play.
I bet he can still pull the ball just fine and is one of those fringe guys that are candidates to become regulars again with the end of the shift.
This winter meeting is lame this year. Trading has been non existent.
We’ll see more deals after the big FA pieces fall into place and we’re left with the have-nots.
Wait a couple days
Yet another prime change of scenery type player. Also same age (27) as Cody Bellinger. This guy can mash RHP when healthy. I’d take a flier on him at 1B/DH.
So can Mervis.
True enough. Last I checked 1B and DH are two distinct batting order positions. The Cubs could do worse than putting one at 1B and the other at DH when a RHP starts a game assuming Mervis breaks camp with the team.
Mervis has zero MLB ABs
Its not a 1 year deal for $17.5 million. Its a 1 year deal for $12.5 million with an $17.5 million mutual option that includes a $5 million buyout.
If he has a bad year and the Cubs decline the team portion of the option its a $17.5 million guarantee. If he has a decent but not great year and both parties pick up the option, its a 2 year $30 million deal. If he has a great year and declines the player portion of the option its a $12.5 million 1 year deal
Mutual options rarely happen. it’s 17.5m for 1 year. skating around lux tax if they ever get to that point
Any player that has their best season in the juiced ball seasons of 2019-2020 before their production dropped off a table is suspect. His last 650 PA have resulted in a 78 OPS+. Add injuries to that and that would be a definite no for me.
But then I am not a Cubs fan. Maybe they like guys like him.
Smith is the type of player that the Dodgers sign and becomes an all-star. But my money is first on Mervis. Smith as a backup is cheaper than Myers or Yukon.
Yeah, Pads fan – you don’t like the ball juiced – but how do you feel about your players juiced?
no gracias
This guy sitting on the Mendoza line?
Dominic Smith does not move the needle for me.
I would rather have Jesus Aguilar as a 1B / DH option.
Would like to see what Dom Smith could do with an everyday gig where he isn’t looking over his shoulder.
I could easily see him having a solid year with the Cubbies. Good clubhouse guy, too.
Aguilar will get starter money, Smith will get backup/flyer money.
1 year prove it deal for $3-$4M sure why not….
Hoyer and the Cubs continuing to act like a small market club.
He’s had two good seasons: one was the 2019 rabbit ball & the other the shortened pandemic year, 2020. Another reclamation project like Bellinger.