Update 11/23 at 9:45 PM
Free agent reliever Joe Smith just signed with the Los Angeles Angels on a 3-year deal worth a little more than $15 million, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Read my thoughts on Joe Smith from an earlier post below…
Original Post
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that the Indians were not expected to retain Joe Smith.
Smith, as most of you know, is an ex-Met who was traded away in the J.J. Putz deal. Smith has developed into one of the premier relievers in the American League over the last few years, with a 2.42 ERA in 197.0 innings over his last three seasons. He has also finished 45 games for the Indians and allowed just ten home runs. Right-handers have a career batting average of just .218 against him — while lefties are only faring a little better at .248.
He’s seeking a three-year deal worth about $15 MM and considering he’s just 29, he seems like a reliever that I would take a gamble on.
Here’s the added benefit to that, however — Smith is basically a constant at this point, so you have some margin of error with Jeurys Familia/Jeff Walters/Jack Leathersich/Vic Black.
In the present scenario, as much as I think they’ll all succeed, this would put the Mets in a scenario where they do not HAVE to succeed, and then one of them could be used a trade chip for a big deal down the line.
What do you all think?
