For Dominic Smith, trade rumors are nothing new to a player who has dealt with this type of noise throughout his entire career.
Over the weekend, the Mets were dangling Smith as the center-piece in a possible trade to acquire pitching help from the San Diego Padres. Had the deal not fell through on Saturday evening, Smith would've been dealt to the Padres in exchange for starter Chris Paddack, first baseman Eric Hosmer, reliever Emilio Pagan and $30 million in cash.
What sparked these trade talks of course, was the unsettling news of Jacob deGrom's four week shut down on Friday, which will cause him to miss significant time during the regular-season.
Alas, the Mets decided against taking on Hosmer's bloated contract, even with financial assistance from the Padres, in order to acquire Paddack, who is an arm that they like.
Instead, Smith will remain a Met, where he is unlikely to be an every day player. And here's where things start to get a bit awkward. In the wake of the now-dead trade talks between the Mets and Padres, SNY reported that Smith would welcome a trade to another team in order to play every day.
“That didn’t come from my mouth, but who wouldn’t want to play every day?” Smith said, referring to his rumored desire to be traded. “Those exact words didn’t come from my mouth, but I’m here. It’s out of my control. I can’t trade myself, and I can’t put myself in the lineup. All I can do is show what I can, and that’s what I do out there on the field.”
So when asked point blank if he requested to be traded, Smith responded: “I never said that either. That’s something that didn’t come out of my mouth. I’m here with the Mets. I love this team. I love this city, and we have a great team. I think everybody’s goal is to win a World Series, and this team has a pretty good chance to.”
Smith's best position is at first base, where Pete Alonso has emerged as a franchise cornerstone, dating back to 2019. The 26-year-old can also play left field and serve as a designated hitter, but there are a number of other players who will receive at-bats as a DH, and Mark Canha is the Mets' projected starting left fielder.
Although Smith isn't the best fit with the Mets on defense, he has been tearing the cover off of the ball at the plate in Grapefruit League action. In 12 exhibition games this spring, Smith is slashing .440/.533/.880 with a 1.413 OPS and two home runs. Smith is coming off a down-season in 2021, where he played through a partially torn labrum. However, he averaged a .937 OPS in the major leagues from 2019 to 2020.
Should Smith's hot-streak carry over into the regular-season, it will be hard for the Mets to keep him in a bench role this year. At this point, Smith is unlikely to be traded before Opening Day. And if he receives a chance to play every day with the Mets or elsewhere, he is a prime bounce back candidate now that he is healthy.
"I’m here,” Smith said. “Like I told you, I don’t think I’ll get traded until it happens, and I’m happy to be here, happy to be a Met. I love this organization, I love this city and I love this team.”
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