Mallex Smith was traded twice in one afternoon because the offseason, like life, comes at you fast
One must imagine working in a front office feels like an intense, high-stakes game of chess. Only the game pieces are actual humans playing baseball. As we've seen documented to precision, striking that perfect deal can sometimes be a stressful process.
On the other side of that equation, as outfielder
Phase One:
Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto and his staff pulled off a deal, acquiring Smith and pitcher
#Mariners acquire RHP Shae Simmons & OF Mallex Smith from Atlanta for LHP Luiz Gohara & LHP Thomas Burrows.
— MarinersPR (@MarinersPR) January 11, 2017
Read: https://t.co/Wqvt0KV6gQ pic.twitter.com/kSChNEHYry
Phase Two:
So, the Mariners pick up a piece for the present and future in Smith, set to man their outfield for years to co -- oh, wait, what's that?
#Mariners acquire LHP Drew Smyly from Tampa Bay for OF Mallex Smith, INF Carlos Vargas & LHP Ryan Yarbrough.
— MarinersPR (@MarinersPR) January 11, 2017
Read: https://t.co/gVmEKOvPQk pic.twitter.com/jxviSPflk4
Smith's tenure as a Mariner lasted just a shave over an hour. Instead of manning Safeco Field's spacious outfield, he'll now join
In 72 games with the #Braves in 2016, Mallex Smith hit .238/.316/.365 with 16 stolen bases, which ranked fifth among major league rookies.
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) January 11, 2017
Tampa Bay will be hoping to see much more of this sort of effort from Smith in the outfield:
Life comes at you fast. So, too, does the offseason -- but at least Smith and Angels lefty
And a remarkable note from MLB.com's Greg Johns: the Smyly deal was the 36th trade Dipoto has completed with the Mariners since becoming their GM 16 months ago.
Just this offseason alone, in fact, Dipoto has kept himself quite busy:
