Will Smith is going home.
The former Giants closer signed a three-year, $39 million contract to join the Braves on Thursday.
#Braves Sign LHP Will Smith: pic.twitter.com/vXAfty3nAq— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 14, 2019
The Georgia native made his first All-Star Game last season with the Giants. He finished 2019 with a perfect 6-0 record, 2.76 ERA and had 34 saves.
San Francisco acquired Smith from the Brewers on Aug. 1, 2016, right before the MLB trade deadline. The Giants sent former top prospect Phil Bickford and catcher Andrew Susac to Milwaukee, which proved to be a steal of a trade for San Francisco.
Smith went 1-1 with a 2.95 ERA to finish the 2016 season for the Giants, but then underwent Tommy John surgery the next spring and missed the entire 2017 season.
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The left-hander was stellar in 2018, going 2-3 with a 2.55 ERA and was even better this past season. Smith nearly was automatic on the mound for the Giants and had 96 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings.
The Giants handed Smith a $17.8 million qualifying offer going into this offseason that would have kept him in San Francisco for the 2020 season. He signed a multi-year deal with the Braves instead, and the Giants now will receive an extra draft pick next June.
[RELATED: How Smith signing with Braves affects Giants' bullpen]
Smith's tenure in San Francisco certainly was a success, but the Giants now have to find a new closer for next season.
