Justin Smoak has turned into one of the few veterans on this year's Blue Jays team. (ArdenZwelling)
"Just like that. Honestly, I feel like we went from being one of the oldest teams in the game to one of the younger teams with, like, the flip of a switch," Smoak said. "It’s different. This is my fifth year. And through it all there was always [Josh Donaldson,] we had , we had Russ [Martin.] And then, all of a sudden, next thing you know, they’re all gone."
That means that as valuable as Smoak will be to the Blue Jays on the field this season, he’ll be just as important off of it as one of the few veterans in a clubhouse full of young players experiencing their first extended taste of major-league life. It’s a role he’ll embrace.young players. We really do," Smoak said.
"He’s an outstanding guy — he’s taken a leadership [role] in the clubhouse," Montoyo said. "Also, he’s a good player. That helps." And he provided his club with tremendous value, as he earned far less than most of his statistical peers with a mere $4.125-million salary. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles paid Chris Davis more than $20-million to produce one of the worst offensive seasons in the modern era. And, in a less extreme example, the Philadelphia Phillies gave Carlos Santana $15-million to post an OPS more than 40 points below Smoak’s.
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