Justin Smoak Acquisition Raises Questions About Adam Lind's Future as a Blue Jay

The Toronto Blue Jays recently made their first acquisition of the offseason, claiming first baseman Justin Smoak off waivers from the Seattle Mariners, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca.

Smoak—selected 11th overall in the 2008 draft—is a former top prospect and was a key piece in the trade that sent Cliff Lee from the Mariners to the Texas Rangers. Unfortunately, as his career slash line of .224/.309/.380 suggests, Smoak hasn’t been able to live up to the hype at the major league level.

So why would Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos roll the dice on a 27-year-old former top prospect who is looking like a journeyman at this point?

The answer could have something to do with Adam Lind.

Lind thrived with the Blue Jays in a platoon role during the 2014 season, hitting .321/.381/.479 with six home runs, 40 RBI and 38 runs scored. The left-handed hitter had 281 of his 318 total plate appearances come against right-handed pitchers.

The 31-year-old Lind has a $7.5 million team option for the 2015 season. While that seems like a good value for the production that he is capable of providing, the Blue Jays may not be willing to spend the money on Lind—even though they will likely pick up his option.

One of Toronto’s biggest priorities this offseason will be to re-sign outfielder Melky Cabrera. After hitting .301/.351/.458 with 16 home runs, 73 RBI and 81 runs scored this past season, Cabrera will no doubt be looking for large multi-year deal.

This could lead the Blue Jays to pick up Lind’s option and then look to trade him in order to use some of the money saved to re-sign Cabrera or make other moves. In this situation, Smoak—who will likely see his $3.65 million 2015 team option declined and instead be taken to arbitration—could wind up as a cheaper replacement for Lind.

Financial implications aside, it’s also possible that Toronto sees Smoak as a reclamation project that still has potential and upside. The switch-hitting Smoak has displayed good power throughout his career and has averaged 15 home runs a season, despite playing in the pitching-friendly Safeco Field these past four seasons. That power should translate well at the hitter-friendly Rogers Centre.

With Smoak also being able to play first base, this could give Toronto the option to slot All-Star first baseman Edwin Encarnacion at the designated hitter spot in the lineup more often in order to keep him fresh.

As Anthopoulos often plays his cards close to the vest, nothing is guaranteed yet. But, until the general manager explains his rationale for picking up Smoak, this acquisition certainly raises questions about Lind’s future with the club.

*All stats are from baseball-reference.com