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| Where There's 'Smoak', There Could Be A Fire Sale (AP Photo) |
UPDATE: Jays re-sign Smoak. A few short years ago, INF
Justin Smoak was a "Top 15" prospect poised to man 1B for the Texas Rangers for
years to come. Then, he got traded to Seattle for
Cliff Lee.
Yesterday, his new team—the Toronto Blue Jays—non-tendered him and let him walk. This, after they declined his 2015 option in November. Oh, how the mighty have fallen! The switch-hitter is still only 27 years old, but he's never come
close to matching expectations. This whole sad episode should serve as a "teaching moment" for some Red Sox fans. You know, the ones who want to hold onto
every prospect in the Boston system—no matter what kind of quality players they would bring back in a trade. Frankly,
The Carmine Hose have a history of over-valuing prospects (although not as egregiously as
The Bronx Embalmers). The key is to make sure your talent evaluators identify the
right few prospects to hoard—while sacrificing the others for the greater team good. For example, is getting
Cole Hamels worth giving up—say—
Mookie Betts? Don't answer so quickly!
