New York Yankees first baseman Dom Smith has boldly moved to opt out of his contract before a scheduled spring training start. Therefore Smith will be back on the market as a free agent.

Smith signed a contract with the Yankees in January after playing for the Cincinnati Reds. In August 2024, Smith signed a one-year contract with the Reds after playing the first half of the season with the Boston Red Sox. 

He played in nine games and batted .176 before being sent down to the minor leagues. 

As a result of him opting out, Smith will not be in the lineup for the Yankees spring training game against the Detroit Tigers on Friday, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. 

Smith batted .297, garnered 11 hits, hit three home runs, and drove in 12 runs during spring training for the Yankees. The reasons for his opting out remain unknown. 

Dom Smith’s life as a journeyman 

Smith was selected by the Yankees’ rivals, the New York Mets in the 2013 MLB draft.  He went through a series of ups and downs over the course of three years in the minor leagues.  

On August 11, 2017, Smith made his major league debut for the Mets against the Philadelphia Phillies. He had a single and four days later hit his first major league home run. Smith would go on to play for the Mets for five years (2017-2022).

Smith played in 447 games, batted .292, with 306 hits, and 179 RBIs during his stint with the Mets. 

His performance started to slip in the ’22 season when he batted .194 with only 26 hits. The Mets didn’t offer him a contract, and he was in the free-agent market. 

In January 2023, the Washington Nationals signed Smith to a one-year $2 million contract. He played in 153 games, and batted .254, with 134 hits, and 12 home runs. Smith was back on the free agent market after being designated for assignment. 

During the 2o24 season, Smith signed minor league contracts with the Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays before his stints with the Red Sox and the Reds.