Blue Jays sign Justin Smoak to two-year extension: Four things to know

Today in unexpected news, the Blue Jays have agreed to a two-year extension with first baseman Justin Smoak valued at more than $8 million. The deal includes a club option worth an additional $6 million, as well as some escalators that could push the option-year's value closer to $8 million.

Here are four things you need to know about the agreement.

1. Smoak is a useful, limited player.

If you can get past Smoak's prospect hype of yesteryear and his so-so overall statistics, you'll find a capable strong-side platoon option at the cold corner. Opinions on his defense vary, but over the last several seasons he's proven to be an average-to-slightly-above-average hitter against right-handed pitching.

His historical numbers aren't as good against lefties, meaning he should probably be platoon against tougher southpaws, and he's never going to be more than a down-order option regardless of who's pitching:

Still, the overall package is decent enough, albeit in an unspectacular way.

2. The Blue Jays (probably) got a fine deal.

Because Smoak was about three months from the open market, he had more leverage than the typical extension candidate. It just so happens this winter's first-base market includes a lot of similar players: there's Logan Morrison, Mitch Moreland, James Loney, Adam Lind, Brandon Moss, and so on.

Smoak is probably among the better bets of that group, all things considered. Combine that assertion with the knowledge that last offseason saw Mike Napoli ($7 million) and Steve Pearce (nearly $5 million) grab one-year deals worth more than half Smoak's two-year guarantee, and it's easier to understand why the Jays went ahead and offered this deal.

Granted, it's not the biggest bargain in the world -- and there's legitimate risk Smoak is released by the end of 2018 -- but it seems like an okay move regardless.

3. The Jays now have more cost certainty.

Another benefit to the Blue Jays is what re-signing Smoak does for their budget. There's no telling how much Toronto intends to spend next season, but they now have more than $90 million committed in 2017 salaries, leaving them about $60 million short of this year's figure.

The Jays have a slew of prospective free agents: the big two, in Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, as well as Michael Saunders, Jesse Chavez, Brett Cecil, and R.A. Dickey. Retaining or replacing all those fellers is going to require funds, and one of the most practical methods for balancing a budget is filling in the blank spaces. The Jays can now proceed with a concrete figure in mind at first base, which ought to help -- even if just a little.

4. This will cause more outcry than it merits.

Reread the preceding paragraph: The Blue Jays have a lot of uncertainty going forward. As such, some are going to wonder -- and criticize -- why the Jays are wasting time with Smoak.

The reality is, the Jays have seemingly been in contact with Encarnacion and Bautista at various points, and probably have an idea in mind on what it would take to secure their services. Locking in Smoak likely didn't require much time, and shouldn't affect those pursuits in the negative sense.

And if it did or does? Then the Jays have bigger issues on their hands than this extension.