The story of former Seattle Mariners outfielder Mallex Smith

After flipping Mallex Smith to the Rays, he returned to Seattle after the 2018 season

The Seattle Mariners owned Mallex Smith for less than a day in 2017 when they flipped him to the Tampa Bay Rays for Drew Smyly. Two seasons later, Jerry Dipoto made a move for Mallex Smith in late 2018. This time, it was for him to stay.

The Seattle Mariners received the speedy Mallex Smith, and also an outfield prospect, Jake Fraley. For those two players, the Mariners gave up three players: Mike Zunino, Guillermo Heredia, and Michael Plassmeyer. Smith just came off a career year batting .296, leading the league with 10 triples and stole 40 bases. Mallex Smith had looked really good with the Tampa Bay Rays from 2017 to 2018 and it seemed like a win for the Mariners.

According to MLB Trade Rumors, Jerry Dipoto at the time was keen on adding a centerfielder and he wanted to lower the club’s large payroll. Dee Strange-Gordon was the centerfielder, so the addition of Smith was a much needed defensive upgrade. Jake Fraley was the Rays’ second-round pick in 2016 and was just 23-years-old.

In the trade, the Seattle Mariners got rid of the infamous Mike Zunino to a Rays team that needed a starting catcher. The Rays also received Heredia who was a decent role player for the Mariners, but he was expendable. Michael Plassmeyer was a 22-year-old former fourth-round pick in 2018. Now, let’s look at how Mallex Smith performed while in Seattle to close out his career with the Mariners.

Mallex Smith elected free agency in October and was signed by the New York Mets

The Seattle Mariners outrighted Mallex Smith in September and elected free agency in October, making himself available to sign with other teams. The New York Mets made several moves in early November and Smith was one of those signings. The Mets signed Mallex Smith to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

With the signing, Smith’s time in Seattle officially came to a close after two seasons. The Mariners never were able to see his full potential unfortunately and had to move on from the 27-year-old outfielder. The team gave him a large role in 2019 and did okay for the most part.

During the 2019 season, Smith batted .227, .635 OPS, and hit only six home runs. His OPS+ was 73, and his offensive WAR was 1.0. He did however lead the league with 46 stolen bases, but the Mariners were expecting his 2017 and 2018 performance with the Rays where he batted well over .250.

Smith really struggled in 2020 and essentially got booted out of the rotation of outfielders. I think Jerry Dipoto wanted Mallex Smith to be a part of the Seattle Mariners rebuild had he played well, but he did not do enough to keep him in the organization. In 2020, he only appeared in 14 games and batted .133. Although he is usually a good outfielder, he turned into a liability in 2020.

With the young Seattle core emerging, Smith could not compete and had no place in Seattle. Smith now joins a Mets team that just changed ownership and is looking to change the culture. The Mets signed many veteran players to minor league contracts with the hope of fostering competition. Smith has a chance to showcase his skills and make the MLB team if he can play well.

Smith was unable to produce outside of stealing bases, so it will be interesting to see if he can repeat his performances when he was with the Tampa Bay Rays. To say the least, trading for Mallex Smith was a disappointing move.