Cleveland Guardians Should Acquire Veteran Chicago Cubs Pitcher

The Cleveland Guardians should look to acquire a veteran Chicago Cubs' pitcher off of outright waivers.

Mar 28, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Drew Smyly (11) pitches in relief against the Texas Rangers during the tenth inning at Globe Life Field. / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

One of the biggest needs that the Cleveland Guardians have heading into the final stretch of the season is more pitching depth. They made the trade to acquire Alex Cobb ahead of the MLB trade deadline, but Cobb has already gone out with another injury.

At this point in the season, it's very difficult for teams to make moves that will have a major impact.

Thankfully, the Guardians have been gifted a chance to do just that.

As reported by MLB insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Chicago Cubs made the decision to place Drew Smyly on outright waivers. He's a piece that Cleveland should strongly consider acquiring.

Smyly will be able to continue playing for the Cubs until another team chooses to claim him off of waivers. That team should be the Guardians.

The 35-year-old left-handed pitcher is capable of pitching in a relief role or as a starter. This season with Chicago, he has pitched specifically in a relief role.

He has appeared in 39 games this season with the Cubs, compiling a 3-6 record to go along with a 2.84 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, a 2.4 K/BB ratio, and 50.2 innings pitched.

Should Cleveland end up adding him, they could throw him into the rotation. He could also be used as a quality long relief option. Smyly is the kind of interchangeable pitcher that can be very valuable down the stretch.

It will be interesting to see if the Guardians do go get Smyly. He would make a lot of sense for the team and would fill a major need.

At the very least, they should be strongly considering the option.