Closer departs:
Will Smith, who had a banner year for the Giants, signs a three-year, $40 million deal with the Braves.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Will Smith, a former Willie Mac Award winner and the Giants’ only AllStar in 2019, signed a threeyear, $40 million contract with the Braves on Thursday.
Smith, 30, who had been tendered a qualifying offer from the Giants, has a $13 million club option for 2023 with a $1 million buyout.
The Giants will receive a compensatory pick in the June draft for losing Smith because of the qualifying offer he was tendered — Madison Bumgarner also received one and declined it by Thursday’s deadline, so he’s heading to free agency.
If Bumgarner signs elsewhere, the Giants would get a second compensatory draft pick.
Smith, a trade candidate before the July 31 deadline, wouldn’t have minded a deal to the Braves at the time. He’s from Atlanta and likes to say he can go behind his parents’ house and hunt.
“Playing at home will be nice because I’ll be able to spend more time with family,” Smith told The Chronicle in a text. “I grew up watching the Braves with my dad so it’s a special time. So when I put on that Braves uniform, it will definitely be a kid’s dream coming true. I’m excited to see what the season brings.”
The Braves would be a natural fit for Bumgarner as well, considering it’s the closest team to his North Carolina home and they should be a contender after winning their division in 2019.
So it’s possible the lefties could be teammates again in Atlanta. Another exGiant, reliever Mark Melancon, was traded to the Braves before the deadline.
By accepting the $17.8 million qualifying offer, either Bumgarner or Smith would have been property of the Giants in 2020. Bumgarner could still resign, but he’s expected to command lofty longterm offers on the open market.
Smith’s agent, Jeff Berry, said that if the pitcher hadn’t signed a longterm contract before Thursday’s deadline to accept or decline qualifying offers, he would have accepted the Giants’ offer. “It was going to be one or the other. He wasn’t going to go to free agency,” said Berry, adding there weren’t talks with the Giants for a longer deal.
Qualifying offers have been known to hurt free agents’ markets. Last year, pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel didn’t sign until after the draft when teams no longer could be docked draft picks.
The Giants acquired Smith from the Brewers in August 2016, and he missed the 2017 season after Tommy John surgery, then posted a 2.55 ERA in 2018, the season he won the Willie Mac Award as the most inspirational Giant, and a 2.76 ERA in 2019.
This past season, he went 60, saved 34 games and struck out 96 batters (while walking 21) in 651⁄3 innings. He was especially effective against lefthanders, who hit .157 (11for70) off him with just two extrabase hits.
In the text, Smith said he was grateful for the training staff that helped him through rehab and his coaches and teammates: “My time in San Fran is something I’ll take with me forever . ... I will never forget the good times, the competing on the field and the many jokes in the clubhouse.”
Among the many roster needs for 2020, the Giants must find a new closer and perhaps a new ace, should Bumgarner go elsewhere, which wouldn’t be stunning at this point.
Bumgarner and Smith were among 10 bigleaguers to receive qualifying offers.
Only one other Giant previously had gotten a qualifying offer: Pablo Sandoval in 2014 when he signed with Boston. With the compensatory draft pick, the Giants selected Chris Shaw.