The Washington Nationals are adding a lefty bat to their roster in the form of Dominic Smith, who agreed on a one-year deal with the team, per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post.
At the winter meetings in early December, Dave Martinez, manager of the Washington Nationals, laid out a specific checklist for an offensive acquisition. Martinez wanted the player to bat left-handed, to play the corner outfield spots and to be capable of spelling Joey Meneses at first or serving as the designated hitter. Then the Nationals agreed to terms with Dominic Smith on Tuesday, giving them a bounce-back candidate who fits each of those requirements and their general offseason vision.
The 28-year-old Smith had only played for one team in the majors before agreeing to join the Nationals, having spent his first six years in the big leagues with the New York Mets, who selected him in the first round (11th overall) of the 2013 MLB Draft. His first notable campaign in the MLB was in 2019 when he posted a triple slash line of .282/.355/.525 and hit 11 home runs to go with 25 RBI in 197 plate appearances across 89 games played, while also recording a 132 OPS+ for the Mets.
Smith would follow that season up by slashing .316/.377/.616 and hitting 10 home runs along with 42 RBI in 50 games and 199 plate appearances in 2020 while finishing with a 168 OPS+.
The Nationals are expected to slot Smith in first base and in the outfield, with the hope that a new environment will spark him back to his top form. Over his last two seasons with the Mets from 2021 to 2021, Smith hit just .233 in 203 games and 645 plate appearances while having just a 78 OPS+.
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