The Chicago Cubs will be meeting with Drew Smyly's camp to discuss a new deal that would bring the lefty back to Wrigley Field for the 2023 season according to a report from the Chicago Sun-Times' Maddie Lee. Smyly has a $10 million mutual option for the 2023 season, but it appears more likely that the two sides will work to come to an agreement on a different deal.
While the Cubs are expected to be among the biggest spenders this offseason, President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer also stressed the need to have good depth going forward, and having an arm like Drew Smyly in the fold to slot in the back of the rotation comfortably fits that notion like a glove.
33-year-old Smyly underwent a big bounceback season following a disappointing 2021 with the Braves, finishing 2022 with a 3.47 ERA across 106.1 innings. The Little Rock native's underlying numbers were solid as well, striking out just over seven batters per nine innings, and walking only 5.8% of the batters he faced, all adding up to give him a respectable FIP of 4.23.
The University of Arkansas product was one of several successes that emerged last season in the Cubs' revamped pitching infrastructure and is a perfect arm to keep around for the end of the rotation. Hoyer has repeatedly used the term 'intelligent spending' as a way to categorize his approach to the offseason, and bringing Smyly back at a price that wouldn't preclude the team from going after a big-ticket free agent later in the offseason.
More must-reads: