3 reasons why Dominic Smith is the player to trade

J.D. Davis, Jeff McNeil, or Dominic Smith? Which one should the New York Mets trade?

There’s a case for all of them. Each has pluses and minuses. At their best, they can be huge contributors for the Mets. At their absolute worst, they’re a bench piece better utilized in a trade to improve the club somewhere else.

Smith has been on the trade block for several years now. Early on, it was because he wasn’t playing particularly well. Circumstances have changed and his presence as one of the Mets most likely to be traded before Opening Day goes far deeper than this. Should he be the one the Mets actually move on from? Let’s look at three reasons why the Amazins should make him the one to deal.

The Mets roster doesn't have room to carry two first basemen

Smith is not a natural left fielder and Pete Alonso is getting better at first base. Although he may have gotten a little better at the position, Smith belongs at first base. This isn’t going to happen while Alonso is healthy. And even with the DH coming to the National League, Alonso should remain at first base for the majority of games.

Carrying two first basemen—even if one can move off the position and eat up some defensive innings elsewhere—is rarely a good strategy. It can work only if both provide your team with potent offense.

Say, for instance, the Mets went out and signed free agent Freddie Freeman this offseason. It works even at the expense of having two first basemen on the roster. Alonso becomes the near-permanent DH while Freeman gets the majority of innings on defense.

That said, Smith is far less of a guarantee to produce at the plate. The Mets could keep him on the bench and see if he’s able to produce in a part-time role. Given other needs for the roster and my other two reasons why the Mets should trade him, the team may be better off not sitting around and waiting.

Dominic Smith’s trade value might not get any better and if it does we wouldn’t want to trade him anyway

The market for first basemen isn’t exceptional around baseball because of how many there are. A guy past his prime won’t be worth much at all in trades because of the high supply.

Smith is a little different. He’s still young, affordable, and has years of control left on his contract. Everyone from a contender to a club looking to turn things around could look at him as an option for their roster.

Despite the poor showing in 2021, there have been flashes of what Smith can accomplish. His 2020 performance was good enough to earn him minimal MVP consideration. In the right situation, maybe he can come close to repeating that career year or at least challenge those numbers.

The Mets shouldn’t expect to steal a player away from any team with Smith as the headliner. However, they also aren’t stuck selling him for nothing. The three years of control on his contract may be enough to convince a team in need of a first baseman to take a chance on him. It’s one of the most important factors a front office will look at when it comes to a trade. Before he gets a little closer to free agency, now might be the time to strike a deal.