Giants sign Smoak to minor league deal for rest of 2020

The Giants added another power bat for their playoff push. 

On Wednesday, the Giants announced they have signed first baseman/DH Justin Smoak to a minor league contract. The switch-hitter was added to the player pool and will begin at the alternate site in Sacramento.

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MLB Network's Jon Heyman was first to report the news.

Smoak was released by the Milwaukee Brewers on Sept. 6. He hit .186 with five home runs in 33 games, one year after hitting 22 homers in 121 games with the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Smoak, 33, has hit at least 20 homers in a season four times over his 11-year career. From 2017 through '19, he hit 85 home runs and averaged 28 per season. 

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But Smoak hasn't gone deep since Aug. 24 and has been in a big slump ever since. Following that home run, Smoak went 0-for-16 with seven strikeouts before singling on Sept. 1 against the Detroit Tigers.

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The Texas Rangers selected Smoak No. 11 overall in the 2008 MLB Draft. He was an AL All-Star in 2017 when he hit 38 home runs, and has 196 career homers. With the Giants, however, he likely will be a bat off the bench. 

Brandon Belt and Wilmer Flores have first base locked up, and the Giants have better DH options than Smoak right now. The Giants surprisingly have been a great offense this season, and Smoak at the very least adds a power bench bat down the stretch run.

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