Baltimore Orioles GM Dan Duquette in essence performed a trifecta for the Orioles. They’ve got their opening day right fielder. traded an excess starter who might have not even made the 25-man roster in Yovani Gallardo, and they saved about $4M in salary.
Let’s not get overly excited though. Smith is a 34-year-old outfielder who in all respects is “just a guy”. On the flip side, he’s a guy who has played on average of 135 games in the past 4 years and has a great glove. He’s not going to hit 30 HR’s, but he’s also not going to strike out 170 times like Mark Trumbo did last year.