Unless they didn't realize that someone like Carter would be available for less than what Justin Smoak makes. And really, it just doesn't make sense to roster Smoak when a clear 1-win upgrade is probably available for 4M or so. It's not ideal, but:
LF - Pearce
1B - Carter
Bench - Carrera/Upton
Looks a lot better to me than
1B - Pearce
LF - Carrera/Upton
Bench - Smoak, Carrera/Upton