Smyly exercised his $8.5 million player option for the 2024 season Monday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
Smyly will remain in Chicago for the 2024 campaign, as he was unlikely to surpass his guaranteed money elsewhere over the next year. He'll look to bounce back after a rocky 2023 season, accruing a 5.00 ERA and 1.43 WHIP with a 141:56 K:BB across 142.1 innings.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Takes loss in finale
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Smyly (11-11) allowed three runs on two hits while retiring only a single batter to take the loss Sunday against the Brewers. He walked three.
Smyly struggled badly in the season finale, throwing just 11 of his 28 pitches for strikes and retiring only the one batter. The veteran southpaw bounced between the bullpen and rotation this year, ultimately making 23 starts and 18 relief appearances. Smyly finishes 2023 with an even 5.00 ERA across 142.1 innings. He's under contract next season in Chicago, though he's not an appealing fantasy option at this point in his career.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Starting Sunday
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Smyly will start Sunday's game against the Brewers, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Smyly figures to work a few innings in what may turn out to be a bullpen game for Chicago after the club was eliminated from postseason contention Saturday night. The veteran southpaw has plenty of experience in a starting role, though he was converted to a reliever for the final month of the season and has worked only 15.2 innings over 11 appearances in September.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Returning to relief role
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Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Thursday that Smyly will return to a bullpen role, Mike McGraw of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.
It's unclear who might fill the vacant rotation spot, though Hoyer offered an intriguing "no comment" when asked if it could be top pitching prospect Jordan Wicks. Smyly was lit up for seven earned runs over 3.2 innings in his most recent start Tuesday at Detroit and holds a 5.28 ERA in 124.1 total innings (22 starts, five relief appearances) this year with Chicago.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Seven earned runs in loss
Rotowire
Smyly (9-9) took the loss Tuesday, allowing seven runs on eight hits and three walks over 3.2 innings in an 8-6 loss to the Tigers. He struck out four.
The veteran southpaw's return to Chicago's rotation was a disaster, as he allowed 11 baserunners and served up two long homers to Andy Ibanez. Smyly pitched well in his three recent relief appearances, but this marks his second consecutive start allowing seven earned runs. Smyly now has an 8.60 ERA and 1.62 WHIP across 30.1 second-half innings and it remains to be seen whether he will receive another start.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Rejoining rotation Tuesday
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Smyly is scheduled to start Tuesday against the Tigers, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
The veteran left-hander was shifted to the bullpen earlier in August and covered one frame in each of his past three outings, but he'll return to the rotation Tuesday with Marcus Stroman (ribs/hip) still on the injured list. Smyly hasn't covered multiple innings since his last start Aug. 7, so he could have some workload limitations in Detroit. Even without those limitations, Smyly's 4.92 ERA in 21 starts this year makes him an undesirable fantasy option.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Moved to bullpen
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Cubs manager David Ross announced Wednesday that Smyly has been temporarily moved to the bullpen, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Chicago has three days off in the next week and can roll with a smaller rotation for a bit. Also clouding Smyly's role is that Marcus Stroman (hip) is due back within the next few weeks. The 34-year-old left-hander was lit up for seven earned runs over five innings in his last turn Monday versus the Mets as his season ERA rose to 5.05.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Lit up again Monday
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Smyly (8-8) took the loss against the Mets on Monday, allowing seven runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out five batters over five-plus innings.
It was another uninspiring performance by Smyly, who was victimized by two Pete Alonso homers within the first three innings that accounted for five of the runs against him. Despite the long balls, the left-handed hurler managed to get through five frames without completely falling apart, but he allowed three straight singles to open the sixth and then departed after walking in a run. Smyly has given up 12 runs over 9.2 innings across his past two starts and has surrendered at least four earned runs in six of eight outings dating back to June 28. That poor stretch has lifted his ERA from a respectable 3.37 to 5.05.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Struggles in no-decison
Rotowire
Smyly tossed 4.2 innings against Cincinnati on Wednesday, allowing five runs on six hits and no walks while striking out seven batters in a no-decision.
Smyly had pitched behind an opener in each of his two previous outings, but he returned to a traditional starting role Wednesday. The change didn't appear to benefit the left-hander, as he fell behind 5-2 after four frames and was pulled with two outs in the fifth. The Cubs eventually came back with a massive offensive outburst in the late innings to take Smyly off the hook, but that doesn't do much to soften the veteran's struggles. After pitching well for a period earlier in the campaign, Smyly has mostly fallen off the fantasy radar, posting an 8.40 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and 35:11 K:BB over 30 innings across his past seven starts.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Struggles again Monday
Rotowire
Smyly (7-7) took the loss against Washington on Monday, allowing five runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over six innings.
It didn't take long for Smyly to fall behind in the contest, as he gave up a two-run home run to Jeimer Candelario in the first inning. The southpaw ended up surrendering five runs in the contest, the fifth time in 19 starts he's yielded at least that many runs in a game. Smyly at least managed to make it through six frames after going no more than four innings in each of his previous three appearances, but he wasn't able to put an end to his recent struggles. Over his past four outings, he's gone 0-3 while compiling a 9.87 ERA, 2.08 WHIP and 17:9 K:BB in 17.1 innings.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Gets tagged early
Rotowire
Smyly (7-6) took the loss Saturday, allowing four runs on six hits and four walks over four innings against the Yankees. He struck out three.
Smyly was victimized by the long ball early, surrendering a solo homer to Giancarlo Stanton in the first inning and another solo shot to Josh Donaldson in the second. The right-hander allowed runs in each of his first three innings of work and failed to make it beyond the fourth inning for the third consecutive start. He's now lost five of his last seven starts and has given up at least two homers in three of his last five.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Struggles in no-decision
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Smyly did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks over 3.2 innings against Milwaukee. He struck out five.
Smyly got through the first two innings unscathed, but the Brewers tagged him for three runs in the third before forcing the left-hander out of the game in the fourth. Smyly has struggled to a 6.49 ERA over his last seven outings after pitching to a 2.60 mark in his first 10 starts. Overall, the 34-year-old southpaw is 7-5 with a 4.10 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 76:30 K:BB across 90 innings this season. Smyly will look to get back on track in his next outing, tentatively scheduled for next week against the Yankees.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Knocked around by Phillies
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Smyly (7-5) took the loss against Philadelphia on Wednesday, allowing seven runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out two batters over 3.2 innings.
Smyly, working on eight days of rest since his previous start, allowed a season-high seven earned runs and recorded his second-shortest start of the campaign while tying a season-low mark with just two punchouts. The left-hander gave up multiple homers for just the second time this year, though both of those instances have come across his past three starts. He has been mostly boom-or-bust in terms of performance this season, allowing two or fewer earned runs in 11 starts but surrendering five-plus earned runs in four of the other five appearances.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Cruises to seventh win
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Smyly (7-4) tossed five scoreless innings to earn the win Monday against the Pirates. He allowed three hits and five walks while striking out four.
The Cubs scored three runs in the second inning and that was more than enough for Smyly in the eventual 8-0 victory. The lefty struggled with control, issuing a season high in walks, and needed 94 pitches to cover five innings, but he was otherwise strong as he lowered his season ERA to 3.38. Smyly is now tied for second on the team in wins, one behind Marcus Stroman. The veteran will look to build on this in his next outing, which will likely come early next week against the Phillies, as the Cubs have two off days this week that will push the whole rotation back.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Struggles early but earns win
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Smyly (6-4) earned the victory in Wednesday's 10-6 win over Pittsburgh, allowing five runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out four over six innings.
The Pirates jumped on Smyly for three runs on a pair of homers in the first inning, but the veteran left-hander settled down from there, holding Pittsburgh to two more runs over his final five frames as the Cubs came back for a 10-6 win. The win snapped a three-start losing streak for Smyly, who's pitched to a 6.04 ERA over his last four outings after he hadn't allowed more than two earned runs in his previous nine starts. He now sports a 3.59 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP and 65:21 K:BB through 14 starts (77.2 innings) this season.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Takes fourth loss
Rotowire
Smyly (5-4) took the loss Thursday, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits and three walks over six innings against the Angels. He struck out four.
Smyly suffered from a lack of run support as he delivered his fifth quality start of the season. The southpaw has been fairly consistent in 2023, not allowing more than two earned runs in 10 of his 13 outings. The veteran is tentatively slated to face the Pirates at home in his next start.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Hit hard by Cincinnati
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Smyly (5-2) took the loss against the Reds on Sunday after allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out two over 4.2 innings.
Ironically, Smyly's two losses have both come against the Reds after they also got to him in his opening start back on April 3. Sunday was a similar outing for Smyly, who managed to go less than five innings for just the third time in 11 starts. Cincinnati tacked on two runs in the second, another in the third and two more in the fifth to chase him out of the game. The 34-year-old has given up 12 runs in his two outings against the division foes and 12 runs in his nine other starts total. He now sits at a 3.45 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 53:14 K:BB over 60 innings and will look to bounce back in a road test against the Padres next weekend.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Earns fifth win
Rotowire
Smyly (5-1) got the win over the Mets on Tuesday after allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five over five innings.
Smyly kept the Mets' bats quiet until the fourth when Pete Alonso took him deep to center. He coasted through the fifth and wound up being pulled with the bases juiced in the sixth after allowing the first three hitters to reach. Jeremiah Estrada replaced him and allowed just one of the inherited runners to score. The 34-year-old gave up six runs in his first outing of the season and has since posted a 2.13 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 48:10 K:BB over 50.2 innings. He tentatively lines up for a home start against the Reds over the weekend.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Strong start goes to waste
Rotowire
Smyly allowed a run on four hits and struck out eight without walking a batter over six innings in a no-decision versus the Astros on Wednesday.
Smyly did his part, but the Cubs' bullpen allowed six runs over 2.1 innings to squander his quality start. The southpaw hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his last eight outings after he was tagged for seven runs (six earned) in his season debut. He's now at a 2.86 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 46:10 K:BB through 50.1 innings this season. Smyly is projected for a home start versus the Mets next week.
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Cubs' Drew Smyly: Earns fourth win
Rotowire
Smyly (4-1) allowed two runs on four hits across six innings to earn the win Friday against the Twins. He walked one and struck out four.
Smyly allowed two runs in the second inning before settling in to toss four straight scoreless frames and earn the victory. The lefty has looked good this year, as he now has a 3.05 ERA to go with a sparkling 0.97 WHIP. Smyly doesn't always go that deep into games, as this was only his third time tossing six innings or more across eight starts, but he's otherwise been effective. The veteran is tentatively set to take the mound again Wednesday against the Astros.
