Yankees Could Scoop Up Recently DFA'd Red Sox Veteran In Rivalry Power Move
![](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6000,h_3375,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/inside_the_red_sox/01j5ecc1rby8cae4f2t4.jpg)
One of the whackiest things about the Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees rivalry is that they’ve shared so many of the same players.
Alex Verdugo is a recent example. Now it appears 29-year-old first baseman Dominic Smith could be another one.
The Yankees have a need at first base given the horrendous slump that rookie Ben Rice has been in since the All-Star break. With Boston designating Smith for assignment on Friday to make way for Triston Casas, the Yankees could have just stumbled upon a perfect acquisition.
Smith started his career in New York playing for the Mets for five seasons; he’s no stranger to the pressures of playing in the Big Apple, as if the aura of Fenway Park would not have prepared him regardless.
Smith is a savvy hitter with a penchant for the big moment, something the Yankees will need as they look to contend for a World Series.
From the Red Sox perspective, it sure would have been nice to keep Smith around. He’s a strong presence in the clubhouse (valuable for a young roster such as Boston’s), and he’s even had stretches of hot hitting where it looked like Cora was going to have a difficult decision to make when Casas returned to full health.
The Casas-for-Smith swap is based on talent alone, the metric by which most roster decisions are made in Major League Baseball. With Boston struggling to break through in a rugged Wild Card race, the Red Sox are banking on Casas being the best version of himself right away and injecting the lineup with a level of hitting that Smith can’t reach.
On the other hand, it’s easy to imagine Casas struggling out of the gate and never really getting into a rhythm over the next 40-plus games (a short timeframe within which to ramp up to playoff performance), leaving manager Alex Cora wishing he still had Smith as an alternative.
Boston is taking a risk by letting Smith go, and it will be a sorry sight for the Red Sox if Smith ends up contributing to fall baseball wearing pinstripes.
More MLB: Red Sox Sign Lefty Hurler Who Could Become MLB's Oldest Active Player