Every team hopes for flexibility on a roster. For position players, Cody Bellinger is the perfect example. He can play first base or center field. Michael Busch can play first base or third base. For a pitching staff, it is a luxury that you can have a player who can succeed as a starter and a reliever. Last year, Drew Smyly vacillated between starter and long bullpen reliever. So, with only a couple of weeks left in Spring Training, has his role been better defined yet?
What Role Will Drew Smyly Have?
2023 Role
One of the famous baseball adages is that you can never have enough pitching. With the early signs of injury to projected starter Jameson Taillon, the Cubs are now looking for another option during the season’s first two weeks. Luckily for the Northsiders, the answer could be already on their roster. Although probably not penciled in as a starter when camp started, Smyly may be in line to start the year in the rotation. Results have yet to come back for Taillon’s back woes, which have hounded him all Spring.
Smyly had a promising start last season as a starter. The first half of 2023 saw Smyly in top form, going 5-1 and allowing more than two earned runs just once in ten starts through May 23. However, his record dipped to 2-6 in the subsequent nine starts, and his ERA ballooned from 2.60 to 4.41.
Following his July 17 start, Smyly was moved to the bullpen and only came in four times the rest of the season as a starter. Although not perfect, Smyly did prove valuable, appearing 18 times and giving up only eight earned runs during those appearances, with half of those coming in his first relief stint. The troubling fact was that in those four spot starts, he gave up 22 runs in under 14 innings pitched in the 2nd half of the season.
Starter or Reliever?
When the Cubs are at full strength, the spotlight could shift to the promising arms ready to splash. Jordan Wicks, Javier Assad, and even Haden Wesneski might be given a chance before Smyly. This prospect of fresh talent stepping up to the plate brings an exciting future for the Cubs and their fans. Jordan Wicks, Javier Assad, and even Haden Wesneski might be given a chance before Smyly. However, with the possible injury to Taillon, Smyly could be the perfect solution to stop the gap during the season’s first month. He is a veteran presence who wouldn’t feel the pressure of performance that a young pitcher might. It would also allow one of the younger starters to work in the minor leagues every five days. This would certainly be optimal versus having them throw out of the bullpen for the big-league team.
Smyly also showed that he can be successful as a starter, just as he was for the first two months of last season. As a left-handed arm, Smyly also would cause opponents to maneuver their lineup in ways that may not be optimal for their success. Add to this the challenging first month of the season with over half of the first ten series against playoff teams from 2023, and Smyly becomes even more valuable for a team with playoff aspirations. The bottom line is that Drew Smyly is a piece that allows the Cubs to withstand a short-term loss to a rotation starter. Once healthy, Smyly has shown that he can move to the bullpen and still be a productive member of the pitching staff.
Main Photo Credits: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
