Mallex Smith was traded twice in one afternoon because the offseason, like life, comes at you fast

(David Goldman)

One must imagine working in a front office feels like an intense, high-stakes game of chess. Only the game pieces are actual humans playing baseball. As we've seen documented to precision, striking that perfect deal can sometimes be a stressful process.

On the other side of that equation, as outfielder Mallex Smith found out on Wednesday, things can get really busy really quickly. So much so that you can find yourself a part of three separate organizations in a little over an hour.

Phase One:

Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto and his staff pulled off a deal, acquiring Smith and pitcher Shae Simmons from the Braves for two lefty pitchers:

#Mariners acquire RHP Shae Simmons & OF Mallex Smith from Atlanta for LHP Luiz Gohara & LHP Thomas Burrows.



Read: https://t.co/Wqvt0KV6gQ pic.twitter.com/kSChNEHYry — MarinersPR (@MarinersPR) January 11, 2017

Phase Two:

So, the Mariners pick up a piece for the present and future in Smith, set to man their outfield for years to co -- oh, wait, what's that?

#Mariners acquire LHP Drew Smyly from Tampa Bay for OF Mallex Smith, INF Carlos Vargas & LHP Ryan Yarbrough.



Read: https://t.co/gVmEKOvPQk pic.twitter.com/jxviSPflk4 — MarinersPR (@MarinersPR) January 11, 2017

Smith's tenure as a Mariner lasted just a shave over an hour. Instead of manning Safeco Field's spacious outfield, he'll now join Kevin Kiermaier and the Rays as a key part of their ongoing efforts in the AL East:

In 72 games with the #Braves in 2016, Mallex Smith hit .238/.316/.365 with 16 stolen bases, which ranked fifth among major league rookies. — Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) January 11, 2017

Tampa Bay will be hoping to see much more of this sort of effort from Smith in the outfield: