New York Mets to Non-Tender Dom Smith
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The end of an era.
As first reported by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, the Mets are non-tendering first baseman Dominic Smith.
This decision saves the Mets $4 million and means Smith is now a free agent.
The first baseman/DH was selected by the Mets with the No. 11 pick overall in the 2013 MLB Draft. However, Smith never panned out in Flushing.
Smith's two best years came in 2019 (.881 OPS) and during the shortened 2020 Covid campaign (.993 OPS). By the time Smith came around in '19, Pete Alonso had already overtaken the status of being the Mets' first baseman of the future.
In 2021, Smith struggled while playing through a torn labrum in his shoulder, among other nagging injuries.
Last season, Smith batted .194 with a .560 OPS in 134 at-bats. Smith received several chances to claim the DH spot, but was unable to capture the opportunity.
Smith's major league season ended via a July ankle injury. Upon returning to action, Smith spent the rest of '22 in Triple-A Syracuse.
Smith is a player who once had a lot of promise and expectations as a top prospect. But his tenure in Queens never truly worked out. He can now sign with any other team to try to resurrect his career elsewhere.
Per Joel Sherman of The New York Post, Mets are tendering all other eligible players: Alonso, Luis Guillorme, Joey Lucchesi, Jeff McNeil, Tomas Nido and Drew Smith.
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