Alright, let me tell you how I fell down this rabbit hole thinking about Dominic Smith. It all started because I kept seeing his name pop up everywhere – baseball news feeds, fan forums, the works. Everyone was arguing: “Should teams sign him? What’s he worth?” Honestly, I got sucked in trying to figure it out myself.
First, I had to actually look at what he did last year. Yeah, I knew he had that great season with Washington a couple years back, but what about now? So I dug into the numbers – not super deep stat-head stuff, just the basics. His hitting numbers… okay, not terrible, but definitely not lighting the world on fire. Kind of just… there. Average hitter, some pop sometimes, but definitely slowed down. Then defense? That first base glove is solid, I’ll give him that. Good hands, reliable. Nothing flashy, just gets the job done. But a position where hitting really matters. That stuck with me.
Then came the hard part: trying to picture him on a real team next year. It drove me a bit nuts thinking about it. He’s not gonna be “The Guy,” right? No way a team pins their hopes on him carrying the offense. So I started sketching out possibilities:
- Option 1: Starter for a rebuilding team? Maybe. A young club needing a steady presence at first base, someone to play everyday? Could work short-term. But do those teams want to spend money on a guy like that? Or use their own prospects?
- Option 2: Veteran bench piece? This felt more likely. A team expecting to win uses him as the main backup at first base. Late in the game, maybe pinch-hit against a righty pitcher? That glove is useful late if they have a lead.
- Option 3: DH? In platoon? Maybe a team with a weak left-handed bat uses him as the short side of a DH platoon? But is he powerful enough consistently for that DH spot? Felt like a stretch.
Spent a good chunk of my afternoon staring at my notes, coffee going cold, just trying to see the fit. Honestly, that platoon or backup role kept feeling more and more realistic. He just doesn’t scream “everyday answer” anymore, especially for a team with big goals.
The Money Headache
Okay, role figured out (sorta), now the million-dollar question: What’s fair pay? And for how long? Man, this gets messy fast. Checked out what similar guys – older guys, bench pieces, platoon types – were getting. It’s all over the map! But looking at recent deals…
My gut started leaning towards one year. Maybe a team sneaks in a second year option, but mostly, it’s gotta be one. Nobody wants to be stuck long-term with this uncertainty.
Dollar figure? Oh man, the debates online were wild. Some folks still thought he was worth decent starter money based on that one Washington year! No way. Had to be realistic.
My thinking settled somewhere like this:
- If a team truly believes he can bounce back a bit and gives him more playing time, maybe they push to $8-10 million? But that feels risky for them.
- More likely? The solid backup/platoon role? That screams minor league deal with invite to spring training to me. Or, at the absolute most, a one-year major league deal scraping the bottom, maybe $3-5 million max, heavily based on incentives if he plays a lot.
Seeing teams throw crazy cash around this offseason, sure, someone might get desperate and overpay a little for depth. But smart teams? They won’t gamble big here. He’s essentially depth insurance now.
It took piecing it together like a puzzle, looking at his current skills, what teams actually need, and what the market paid recently for similar players. In the end, my prediction? Someone takes a cheap flyer on him as a safety net for first base or off the bench. The days of him being a featured piece? Those seem long gone. Solid player? Sure. Game-changer? Nope. Just trying to be honest after going through all this!
