Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - The Toronto Blue Jays signed first baseman Justin Smoak to a one-year, $1 million contract on Wednesday, just one day after he was non-tendered by the team.
Smoak, claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays from Seattle on Oct. 28, would have earned a larger salary through arbitration if Toronto had offered him a contract by Tuesday's deadline.
The switch-hitting Smoak is coming off a disappointing final season with the Mariners, batting a career-low .202 with seven home runs and 30 RBI over 80 games while spending a portion of the year in Triple A. He hit 20 homers to go along with a .238 average for Mariners the previous season.
Smoak, a .224 career hitter in the majors with 74 homers in 566 games, is expected to compete for a starting job following Toronto's offseason trade of Adam Lind to Milwaukee.
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