One team’s trash could be another team’s treasure.
Granted, it’s a bit dramatic – not to mention just plain mean – to suggest that the New York Yankees simply decided to toss first baseman Dominic Smith onto the garbage pile. It would also be misleading, as Smith wasn’t cut by the Yankees, instead choosing on Friday to opt out of his minor league deal with the team.
It would appear that Smith saw himself as a probable roster casualty with the Yankees and wanted time to catch on with another team before the 2025 season opens later this week for all teams other than the Dodgers and Cubs. And it’s not because of a poor showing during spring training, as Smith batted .297 with an .857 OPS, hitting three home runs with 12 RBIs in 37 at-bats.
But the Yankees already have a roster leaning heavily to the left, and with Ben Rice making a strong case to open the season at designated hitter in place of the injured Giancarlo Stanton, while also filling the backup first baseman role, the lefty-swinging Smith likely read the writing on the wall.
“I feel like I’d be happier if I can line up some choices for our manager,” general manager Brian Cashman said about his wish of adding more right-handed options.
So perhaps a better way to sum up the situation would be to state that one team’s tough decision due to an unbalanced roster could be another team’s fortunate ability to fill a need with a pickup late in spring training. Because there just happens to be a situation northeast of New York City that might be perfect for Smith.
Dominic Smith Opted Out of Minor League Deal with Yankees
With less than a week to go before opening day, the Boston Red Sox are reportedly assessing their need to add depth at first base. While manager Alex Cora recently confirmed that Triston Casas will be the team’s everyday starter, MassLive.com reporters Chris Cotillo and Christopher Smith wrote that the Red Sox might be looking for better backup alternatives, stating “there are some in the organization who believe a reunion with Dom Smith (who opted out of his deal with the Yankees on Friday) may make sense.”
A former first-round pick (11th overall) by the New York Mets in 2013, Smith played parts of six seasons with that team, enjoying his greatest success during the Covid-shortened 2020 campaign, as he posted a slash line of .316/.377/.616. Smith totaled 32 homers, 125 RBI and a .787 OPS from 2019-2021 with the Mets, but the team eventually parted ways with Smith, who later said he had been dealing with a hand issue for several seasons. In January 2024, Smith suffered a broken hamate bone on a live batting practice swing, and after surgery a few weeks later, Smith said he learned what he had been dealing with.
“When it finally broke, the hand doctor looked at the MRI and said it was pretty damaged,” Smith said. “It looked like it could have been either a stress reaction or stress fracture or maybe partially broken for years.”
Dominic Smith Encouraged to be ‘Feeling Like Myself Again’
GettyFirst baseman Dominic Smith, who recently opted out of a minor league agreement with the New York Yankees, became a fan favorite in Boston last season after playing 84 games with the Red Sox.
Smith would play 84 games with Boston during the 2024 season before he was released in mid-August, going on to play another nine games for the Cincinnati Reds. Though he batted just .233 overall for the season, Smith said he was encouraged by how his hand felt.
“They say your best ability is availability,” Smith said. “Just to be fully healthy is huge. It makes a difference out on the field. It makes a difference with your confidence in the box.
“To have that in the back of your mind every at-bat because you know the pain you feel with each swing, it takes away some of your aggressiveness and some of your power. So I’m just happy that I’m feeling like myself again.”
Perhaps just in time for the Red Sox to put in a call to the fan favorite.
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