The Atlanta Braves have been playing some great baseball so far this season. Their recent beatdown of the Guardians showed just how potent their offense is this season. There have been some surprises in this offensive outburst as well. One of the most exciting moments of the season thus far came from Dominic Smith. He announced his presence in Atlanta's lineup with a walk-off grand slam against the Royals during the second game of the year.
Smith also got in on the fun against the Guardians on Friday night as he was 3-for-4 with two RBI. It's been a nice stint with the Braves for the veteran lefty slugger so far. However, if he continues to play at this pace, Smith could find himself on a different team by the trade deadline.
Dom Smith could easily become a prime trade chip for the Braves at this rate
Surely the Braves would hope to keep a player who is performing at this level. But it's tough to see him remaining with the club, especially with Sean Murphy and Ha-Seong Kim returning in the next month or so.
That will make it hard to keep Smith on the roster, besides being a bench bat. He certainly has value as a lefty power bat off the bench, but if Atlanta can improve the team in any way, they'll absolutely move him.
Smith is slashing .357/.400/.571 over 28 at-bats, with two homers, eight RBI, and a .971 OPS. That's not too shabby and exactly what the Braves want from a DH. It's a far cry from what the Pirates are getting from Marcell Ozuna at the moment.
The hard reality of this sport is that players don't always get to stay with the team they want to. Smith seems to really love the culture Atlanta has created, so he won't be lobbying to leave. He and the rest of the roster seem to get along really well.
We all know how well Alex Anthopoulos does at finding players that fit in well within the clubhouse. That leadership and atmosphere are just as important as producing on the field. Smith is another prime example of being a great human being and teammate.
His performance could easily tank, and this conversation becomes moot. However, it seems like a very likely outcome, unless the Braves shock everyone and make a move no one could have expected.