Rockies, Seth Smith Avoid Arbitration
By Dan Mennella [January 15, 2012 at 8:46pm CST]
8:46pm: Smith will earn $2.415MM, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned.
8:28pm: The Rockies and Seth Smith have avoided arbitration by agreeing to
terms on a one-year deal, the team announced via Twitter.
Smith, 29, was eligible for arbitration for the first time. The outfielder
has been a productive offensive player thus far in his career, posting a
.275/.348/.485 line in 1,449 plate appearances. The left-handed hitter is
well above average against righties (.290/.364/.518) but struggles mightily
against southpaws (.202/.269/.319), so he's best deployed in a platoon.
Smith, a second-round pick of the Rox in 2004, was projected by MLBTR's Matt
Swartz to earn $2.6MM through arbitration.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/01/rockies-seth-smith-avoid-arbitration.html