The Arizona Diamondbacks have cleared first baseman Pavin Smith from their 40-man roster through an outright assignment, trimming their count to 33 players as the offseason begins.
The move, recorded on the MiLB.com transaction log, effectively ends Smith’s tenure with the club that drafted him seventh overall in 2017.
Smith’s path to this point had grown increasingly precarious. Arizona had already passed him through outright waivers near the All-Star break, only to recall him in September in search of left-handed punch against right-handed pitching.
The experiment produced a late surge. On September 19, Smith delivered a pinch-hit, walk-off home run against the Yankees, then posted strong numbers over the final two weeks of the season.
Those moments could not erase what preceded them.
Across 89 plate appearances before reclaiming a major-league spot, he managed only a .141/.236/.192 line, underscoring the limited role he held for most of the year.
For a former first-round pick, the outcome marks a quiet conclusion in Arizona.
Smith will almost certainly elect free agency within days, carrying a career slash of .242/.325/.398 into the open market.
At 30, he remains a viable left-handed bat who can handle first base or serve as a designated hitter, though his production has never fully matched the expectations that accompanied his draft status.
The Diamondbacks now face a clear need to replace that bat. They are expected to pursue left-handed options at first base or designated hitter.
On the free-agent side, Jake Bauers stands as the highest-profile pure first baseman available, though he is attached to a qualifying offer and is widely viewed as beyond Arizona’s preferred price range.
Other candidates include Ty France, Alec Bohm, Josh Bell, Nathaniel Lowe, Joc Pederson, Eugenio Suárez, and George Springer, each offering varying combinations of power, contact, and positional flexibility.
The trade market presents additional possibilities. Andrew Vaughn could become available, particularly if Bauers accepts the qualifying offer and remains in Milwaukee. Spencer Torkelson, Royce Lewis, and Jake Burger are also names that have surfaced in early offseason discussions.
Any of those targets would address the left-handed or switch-hitting production Arizona seeks while allowing the club to continue reshaping its roster around a 40-man count that still has room for additions.
By moving Smith now, the Diamondbacks avoid an arbitration decision later and open a roster spot for whatever solution they pursue. The former top prospect’s late-season flashes showed he can still contribute, but the organization has determined that contribution is more likely to come elsewhere.
