PITTSBURGH – In the span of about a week, the Cubs have put two veteran relievers on outright waivers.
They put left-hander Drew Smyly on waivers Monday, league sources confirmed. But his situation differs from that of former closer Héctor Neris.
After Neris cleared waivers last week, the team released him cand called up reliever Jack Neely, who the Cubs acquired at the trade deadline. Neris has since reunited with the Astros, the team he won the World Series with in 2022.
The Cubs do not plan to release Smyly (3-6, 2.84 ERA) if he clears, according to sources. He remained active for the team’s game Tuesday against the Pirates. Teams have 48 hours to submit a waiver claim, so the matter is expected to be resolved Wednesday.
It was essentially a flier at a cost-cutting move, giving the Cubs a chance to unload the remainder of Smyly’s 2024 salary, plus a $2.5 million buyout on his 2025 mutual option. The buyout could cause teams to balk at picking him up.
If Smyly is claimed, the move would help the Cubs get closer to ducking under the Competitive Balance Tax threshold, but even that is not guaranteed to get them there. Publicly available payroll estimates for CBT purposes often come short of the actual figure because of costs not factored into those external models.
The Cubs put Smyly on waivers early enough – before the end of the month – that if claimed, he would be eligible for the postseason with his new team.
The Cubs also don’t lose anything by putting him on waivers – a common practice by teams this time of year – if he goes unclaimed. Unlike when a player is designated for assignment, which immediately removes him from the roster, a player on outright waivers remains active.
If Smyly does remain with the team, he’s performed well in his role out of the bullpen this season. He’s the only left-handed reliever on the roster. He’s stepped in at times to cover multiple innings. Others, he’s thrown in high leverage.
The fact that the Cubs are willing to risk cutting ties with another veteran reliever does, however, speak to the situation a disappointing two months put the Cubs in.
Though they entered Tuesday with a 14-8 record in August, that hasn’t been enough to convince the front office to change course from their trade deadline approach. It isn’t counting on this team, which entered Tuesday 5 ½ games back of a wild-card spot, to make the playoffs this year.
The Cubs didn’t tear down at the deadline, but their moves were future-focused. The players they brought in – third baseman Isaac Paredes, reliever Nate Pearson and Neely, who made his major-league debut with the Cubs last week – are under team control for years to come. And Mark Leiter Jr., traded to the Yankees for Neely and minor-league infielder Ben Cowles, was the first established reliever to depart.
Roster moves
The Cubs made a series of bullpen roster moves on Tuesday before the game. They put right-hander Julian Merrywather on the injured list with tendinitis in his right knee and recalled right-hander Keegan Thompson. They optioned Neely to Triple-A and recalled right-hander Daniel Palencia.
Merryweather injury
Merryweather has been dealing with the knee injury on and off for the past two seasons. He went to Chicago for an evaluation that didn’t reveal anything “remarkable,” Counsell said.
“We got to a point where we can’t not know that it might affect you and have appearances like what happened on Sunday,” Counsell said.