Braves can exhaust another 2021 World Series reunion resource for pitching help

The Atlanta Braves have had to endure an insane amount of injuries to most of their key players, yet they still enter Thursday's series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies with a 73-60 record, holding the third Wild Card spot in the NL and sitting just 5.0 games back of the Phillies for first place in the NL East. This upcoming four-game series in Philadelphia gives the Braves a chance to cut into the deficit even further.

The Braves would likely not be where they are right now without Alex Anthopoulos finding a way to add to their roster that desperately needed a boost because of all of the injuries. Anthopoulos has specifically made it a point to add players who have succeeded in Atlanta before, helping them win the World Series in 2021.

Not all of the moves have worked out. Eddie Rosario was brought back but didn't last long, and Luke Jackson looks like he might not survive the season either. Jorge Soler, though, has been awesome in his return to Atlanta, providing a needed spark at the top of the order even with his suspect defense.

The Braves could and probably should look to make another addition who was part of the 2021 team as Drew Smyly was recently waived. He'd make an already strong bullpen that much better.

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Braves should keep the World Series reunions coming by bringing Drew Smyly back to Atlanta

Unlike the likes of Soler, Rosario, and Jackson, Smyly struggled in 2021. He had a 4.48 ERA in 29 regular season appearances (23 starts) and made just three postseason appearances, allowing five runs in 7.1 innings pitched.

While that subpar season might leave somewhat of a bad taste in the mouths of Braves fans, Smyly was still part of the team that won the World Series and has been quite good in 2024.

The southpaw had a 2.91 ERA in 40 appearances and 52.2 innings of work for the Chicago Cubs before he was placed on waivers. He wasn't waived due to poor performance, but was let go because the Cubs are virtually out of postseason contention and Smyly wasn't part of their future plans. If he's claimed off of waivers, the Cubs would save some money, which is always a good thing for ownership.

The Braves have a strong bullpen, but could benefit from adding another left-hander to offset the loss of A.J. Minter who is out for the remainder of the season due to injury. Perhaps Smyly could replace another World Series champion, the struggling Jackson, in a roster move that would help the Braves, even if the impact is marginal.

Since Smyly is on waivers, all Atlanta would have to do is cover the remainder of his $10.5 million salary and cover his $2.5 million buyout for 2025, which wouldn't be hard at all. Getting a reliever of his caliber essentially for free would be a win for the Braves.