Gibbons says Smoak shouldn't have signed extension: 'He's losing money now'

John Gibbons knows a bargain when he sees one.

The Toronto Blue Jays manager offered an interesting quip when he was asked about first baseman Justin Smoak's breakout performance.

"He's doing a heck of a job. Shouldn't have signed that contract. He's losing money now," Gibbons said, according to The Associated Press. "I've never seen him this good. We always envisioned it. It's in there, and it's just coming together for him."

Smoak signed a two-year, $8.25-million extension in July of last season, a move that was initially chastised by fans and media alike as the 30-year-old hit .222/.306/.430 with 0.9 WAR from 2015 to 2016 with the club.

Now, general manager Ross Atkins is looking like a genius. This year, Smoak has looked like a completely different player. Entering Tuesday's game, he's slashed .287/.349/.574 with a team-leading 15 home runs and 40 RBIs. Smoak's 23 RBIs since May 11 leads the American League, according to Sportsnet Stats.

Other than being worth a career-high 1.3 WAR only 57 games into this season, according to FanGraphs, Smoak has already played up to an estimated salary value of $10.4 million in 2017.