Pete Alonso<\/strong> burst onto the stage, and forced Smith to spend time in left field, where he graded out poorly defensively.<\/p>\nBoosted 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 arbitral salary.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The Cubs currently have Matt Mervis<\/strong> and Alfonso Rivas<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n