Wade Miley was a welcome addition to the Chicago Cubs heading into 2022. The 35-year-old veteran slid into the rotation for a club that needed to eat innings and get through another challenging season. By the season's end, the situation had changed drastically.
Miley has bounced around the league throughout his 12 seasons in big league ball, playing for eight teams and only staying with one club for more than two seasons. In 2022 with the Chicago, Miley put up one of his best seasons as a professional despite only making nine starts.
In limited action, the lefty posted a remarkable 3.16 ERA over just 37.0 innings and served as a mentor for the young pitchers in the organization. However, the small sample size does not warrant much more of an argument for his future with the club or his overall impact on the season.
It is incredibly difficult to evaluate just nine appearances for a player that does not have a future with this particular team. As the Cubs continue to plan for the for 2023 and beyond, they have to give the young guns a chance to compete.
Miley had a strong season with the Cincinnati Reds in 2021 and continued that pace with Chicago this past season, but he could not stay healthy. If he did maintain that pace throughout a fully healthy season, maybe the Cubs could have posed a minor threat in the NL Central.
Not to say Miley was the missing piece on an otherwise playoff-caliber roster, but the Cubs had far too many cold stretches and inconsistencies in the rotation. He made three starts in May, one in the middle of June, four in September, and one in October.
Six of his nine appearances ended before the sixth inning, with four of them lasting 3.0 innings or fewer. The sample size was simply not what the Cubs paid for after claiming Miley off waivers last November and picking up his option worth $10 million.
Final Grade: C-
There were some bright moments from the experienced Miley with Chicago in 2022 but his impact was minimal. He needed to eat far more innings than he provided and should be free to sign elsewhere next season.
More must-reads: