Dec 29, 2021
Report: Smoak to sign with Yomiuri Giants
Former Toronto Blue Jays slugger Justin Smoak is headed to Japan. ESPN's Jeff Passan reports that the 34-year-old free agent has agreed to a deal with the NPL's Yomiuri Giants that will pay him in the $6-7 million range.
TSN.ca Staff
Former Toronto Blue Jays slugger Justin Smoak is headed to Japan.
ESPN's Jeff Passan reports that the 34-year-old free agent has agreed to a deal with the NPL's Yomiuri Giants that will pay him in the $6-7 million range.
Veteran first baseman Justin Smoak is finalizing a deal with the Yomiuri Giants that will guarantee him somewhere in the $6-7 million, sources familiar with the agreement tell ESPN. Smoak, 34, will join a Giants team that won the Central League but lost in the Japan Series.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 29, 2020
Smoak split last season between the San Francisco Giants and Milwaukee Brewers. In 36 games, he batted .176 with five home runs and 15 runs batted in.
A fan favourite in Toronto, Smoak spent five seasons with the Jays and was a member of the Toronto teams that went to back-to-back American League Championship Series in 2015 and 2016. Smoak was an All-Star in 2017 when he hit .270 with 38 HR and 90 RBI.
The 11th overall pick in the 2008 MLB Amateur Draft out of South Carolina, Smoak ends his big league career with 1,286 games played over 12 seasons with the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Jays, Giants and Brewers.