Cubs claim Wade Miley on waivers from Reds

One of the Cubs' biggest weaknesses in 2021 was starting pitching.

Friday, they began to address this by claiming Wade Miley on waivers from the Reds.

Miley is 35. He posted a 3.37 ERA (61 earned runs in 163 innings) in 28 starts for the Reds in 2021, including his first career no-hitter on May 7 in Cleveland. The lefthander was named the National League Pitcher of the Week following his no-hitter, his first career weekly award. Miley went on to allow only 37 earned runs over his first 20 starts of the season (2.75 ERA), becoming the third pitcher in Reds’ history to accomplish the feat. Over 16 starts from May 31-August 27, Miley posted a 2.41 ERA (27 earned runs in 101 innings), tying the longest winning streak of his career.

Miley will make $10 million in 2022, not unreasonable for a pitcher of his talent. This is clearly a short term fix for the rotation. Miley almost certainly won't be a Cub after 2022, but if he has a good year, either he helps the Cubs contend, or he can be flipped to a contender at the deadline.

Between this and the Reds trade of Tucker Barnhart the other day, it seems as if the Reds are... well, maybe not tanking, but clearly wanting to cut salary.

This is a good move for the Cubs. Nicely done, Jed.