Dominic Smith Lands Giants Contract After Yankees Opt-Out, LaMonte Wade Jr. DFA'd

The San Francisco Giants announced Wednesday that they signed veteran first baseman and outfielder Dominic Smith to a one-year, Major League contract.

In a corresponding move, the Giants designated first baseman and outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. for assignment.

Smith, 29, spent spring training with the New York Yankees before opting out. He later rejoined the Yankees on a minor league deal, but he opted out again on Sunday, making him a free agent.

An eight-year MLB veteran, Smith has appeared in games at the big league level for the New York Mets, Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds.

In 693 career regular-season games, Smith owns a slash line of .246/.313/.403 with 64 home runs and 259 RBI.

His greatest success came over six seasons with the Mets, including a career-best performance in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. Smith finished 13th in National League MVP voting that year, as he slashed .316/.377/.616 with 10 homers and 42 RBI over 50 games.

Smith has not come close to matching that level of production since then, although he did have his moments in 93 games split between the Red Sox and Reds last season, slashing .233/.313/.378 with six home runs and 34 RBI.

Although Smith performed well for the Yankees during spring training by hitting .297 with three home runs and 12 RBI, he did not make the Opening Day roster.

Smith proceeded to appear in 45 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre this season, slashing .255/.333/.448 with eight home runs and 28 RBI.

The lefty-swinging Smith may be in line for significant playing time at first base in San Francisco as a like-for-like replacement for Wade.

Wade, 31, is also left-handed, and he has played 45 games at first base for the Giants this season.

He struggled mightily at the plate, though, slashing .167/.275/.271 with one home run and 15 RBI in 50 games.

Wade's drop-off in production was somewhat surprising given his success in 2023 and 2024. He combined to yield a 4.9 WAR over those two seasons, delivering a .373 on-base percentage, 17 homers and 45 RBI in 2023, and a .380 OBP, eight home runs and 34 RBI last season. He also set career highs with 18 home runs and 56 RBI in his first year as a Giant in 2021.

Despite Wade essentially being a black hole in the Giants' lineup this season, San Francisco is firmly in the National League playoff mix at 33-28. The Giants are just four games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West lead, and a half-game behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the NL's final wild-card spot.