Chad Smith, who just on Tuesday, was designated on assignment to make room on the Tigers 40 man roster for the signing of Joba Chamberlain, has been picked up by the Oakland Athletics. This according to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press.
Smith was drafted in the 17th round out of USC after having Tommy John surgery in his junior year. The Tigers were the only team who consistently showed interest in him, and according to MLive, GM Dave Dombrowski said he “really wished he had made it through.” On leaving Detroit, Smith said, “When they told me the news, I was in shock. They took a chance on me. It’s hard.” Reacting to getting claimed off waivers by the Athletics Smith said, “it’s exciting that another team thought highly of me to pick me up.”
Smith will join what is already a jammed packed and talented Oakland pitching staff. Currently, Smith is the 40th man on the 40 man roster, and is likely to start his season in Triple A Nashville, where he should get a good chance to get innings out of the bullpen, while waiting for his call up to Oakland.
To make room for Smith on the 40 man roster, Oakland placed pitcher Taylor Thompson on the 60-day disabled list, who currently is suffering from a shoulder strain.
Leave a Reply