Veteran first baseman Justin Smoak is finalizing a deal with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan on Tuesday, according to sources. The deal will guarantee him between $6 million and $7 million. The 34-year-old joins a Giants team that won the Central League last year but lost the Japan Series as the country's oldest professional team. Smoak spent last year with the Brewers and Giants and hit five home runs with just a .176 batting average. Before the shortened 2020 season, the left-handed slugger was an...

First baseman/designated hitter Justin Smoaks tenure with the San Francisco Giants lasted just three games, as he was designated for assignment Monday after going 0-for-6. Smoak had begun the season with Milwaukee before the Giants scooped him up, but with no path to extended playing time over the final week of the year, the club had to move on with Alex Dickerson returning from the paternity list. Its unclear where Smoak will land, but he has averaged 28 home runs over the prior three years. ...

Free-agent first baseman Justin Smoak signed a minor-league contract with the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday afternoon. The veteran slugger was released by the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday after slashing .186/.262/.381 through 113 at-bats in 2020. Smoak's most logical path to playing time will be as the designated hitter, but even still, it is doubtful he is an everyday player. Leave him on the waiver wire as there are many better options available.

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Justin Smoak was designated for assignment Thursday, paving the way for Daniel Vogelbach to join the active roster after he was claimed off of waivers. Vogelbach was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on Tuesday, and is now set to join his third team of the season after beginning the year with Seattle. Smoak hasnt been the impact bat that Milwaukee anticipated when they inked him during the offseason, delivering a .201 xBA and .275 xwOBA, which ranks him...

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Justin Smoak went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and three RBI in Monday's 4-2 win over the Reds. Smoak got the Brewers out to a 1-0 lead in the first with a single that drove in teammate Christian Yelich. He later extended Milwaukee's lead with a two-run homer in the third. After getting off to a slow start to start the season, the switch-hitter is showing signs of dominance, smashing a pair of homers among four hits in the last two games. He continues to see ...

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Justin Smoak went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, double, run scored and three RBI in Sunday's 5-4 loss to Pittsburgh. Smoak got the Brewers going with a run-scoring double in the fourth. He went on to give Milwaukee a 4-2 lead when he took Geoff Hartlieb deep for a two-run homer in the sixth inning. Smoak now has four long balls and 12 RBI on the campaign. He's starting to heat up at the plate, and is worth a look in deeper-mixed leagues. He should continue ...

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Justin Smoak went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an RBI double in Thursday's loss to the Cubs. Smoak broke up Yu Darvish's no-hit bid with a solo homer to right field in the seventh inning, then knocked in Milwaukee's other run with a double in the ninth. The big fly was his first since July 25 and second overall on the season. Smoak has been showing signs of emerging from his recent slump, notching three multi-hit performances in his last four games and going...

BALLER MOVE:Add in 12+ Team LeaguesOWNED IN: 7% of leaguesANALYSIS:It's a surprise that Smoak is just 7% owned. We covered him as a Week 1 waiver pick-up, and then he went out and started three straight games as the clean-up hitter for the Brewers. He went 3-11 with a HR and one RBI in those games, so he didn't set the world on fire, but it's rare that you can go to the waivers to pick up a clean-up hitter in an offense that figures to be as dynamic as Milwaukee's does.Don't get scared off by ...

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Justin Smoak went 2-for-5 with a solo home run during Saturday's 8-3 victory over the Cubs. The 33-year-old hit a towering home run to right field during the fifth inning. Smoak is poised to see significant time at first base for the Brewers this season, and he's hit out of the cleanup spot in the first two games. He struggled mightily last season with the Blue Jays, slashing just .208/.342/.406, but he's a decent bounce-back candidate and will play home games in ...

BALLER MOVE:Add in 14+ Team LeaguesOWNED IN: 14% of leaguesANALYSIS:Justin Smoak is a big winner thanks to the universal DH and the new inter-divisional schedule. He figures to see regular at-bats for a Brewers team that has a top-10 schedule, and nearly 70% of Smoak's games will be in parks that are a plus for left-handed pull power. Even though Smoak is a switch-hitter, he historically has more power from the left side. In fact, Smoak has never hit more than seven home runs in a season off of ...