You have posted this a number of times...
he he he
There was a lot of argument back in ‘08 about drafting Smoak. Smoak was expected to be one of the best bats in that draft and Posey was expected to be gone by the time the Giants picked. Ever since, the two have been linked on most Giants’ forums.
Appears we've signed him to a minor league deal...
Yup. Now we can finally trade Belt...
Justin Smoak... ?
Not the right place for this but everyone will soon be here...
At least Panda can play multiple positions while not hitting. Smoak cannot even do that. He's a poor man's Belt defensively. The poor man's part is his bat. I think he had one year where he hit better than Belt. I don't understand the need to bring him into alternate camp. What exactly does he meet in terms of roster needs. Chris Shaw fits the bill just fine for redundant first baseman (although I hear that Smoak has a good glove, unlike Shaw).
Maybe the Giants will trade for Chris Davis this upcoming offseason and they can platoon Smoak and Davis, making Belt expendable.
keep belt
You can never have enough "veteran presence", even on a club full of veteran hitters. His numbers have gone down every year since 2017 and he wasn't that great before 2017. I hope he can rebound but I just don't see how he fits this club. I keep reading that he's here to replace Panda. What??? I'm okay with letting Panda go, but not for another vet who's bat is struggling in 2020. And I assume the reason Panda is still around is because he can play 3rd base for when Longoria cannot play (like last night and tonight). Robertson is down. Who else would they stick there? Dubon? Solano? Flores? I guess each of the could be an emergency 3rd baseman but Smoak wouldn't. His DH spot should be filled with Flores and Slater. 1st base has probably the best hitter on the team right now. Flores fills in for a rest day. Why Smoak?Giants can't rid themselves of Noggin's "veteran presence". This is a head scratcher to me, unless they think Smoak brings a decent bat to the lineup. His 2020 season suggests otherwise. But what the heck, it is 2020, and stranger things will keep happening.
Not going to argue with you there. No there is no room for Smoak. I think I'm more irritated for Shaw than anyone. The dude just doesn't get a chance. He could easily post the same numbers Smoak has put up this year.
