CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 06: Starting pitcher Drew Smyly #11 of the Chicago Cubs. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
The Chicago Cubs were expected to be one of the more active teams at the trade deadline, but Jed Hoyer, surprisingly, did not trade these three players.
Okay, so the Chicago Cubs didn’t keep everybody at this year’s trade deadline. But president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer didn’t commit to a full-on rebuild either. The Cubbies were supposed to be sellers at the deadline, and while they certainly weren’t buyers, the team hung on to a few likely trade candidates.
The Cubs waived goodbye to relievers Mychal Givens (New York Mets), David Robertson (Philadelphia Phillies), and Chris Martin (Los Angeles Dodgers), but unlike their division rivals, the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago hung on to a few of the players most fans and expected to be dealt.
Marcus Stroman may have drawn more trade interest had his contract been more affordable and had he produced this season. Wade Miley would’ve been another trade candidate had he been healthy. But it’s not surprising that those two are still with the club. It is, however, curious that these three players are still suiting up for the Chicago Cubs.
1. We can’t believe the Cubs didn’t trade Drew Smyly
The Chicago Cubs starting rotation has not been one of their strongest attributes this season, but Drew Smyly has had a moderately successful season on the North Side. It’s a bit perplexing that a left-handed veteran like Smyly wasn’t dealt at the trade deadline.
Smyly is 4-6 with a sub-4.00 ERA. He’s never going to strike fear into the opposing batter with 52 strikeouts in 65-plus innings of work. But Smyly induces soft contact. According to Baseball Savant, opposing batters average just 85.6 mph in terms of exit velocity.
With that little nugget, plus being left-handed, and on an expiring contract would seem to make Smyly an attractive trade target for a team looking for pitching depth. But, either Jed Hoyer wasn’t shopping him the southpaw didn’t draw much of a desire from other clubs.
