A reliever that the Chicago Cubs acquired during their 2016 World Series run has chosen to retire after 15 seasons.
Following fifteen Major League seasons, a part of the Chicago Cubs World Series-winning squad in 2016 announced his retirement on Wednesday.
Longtime reliever Joe Smith, who has been with the Minnesota Twins since 2022 and has been a member of eight different clubs, announced his retirement through Excel Sports Management.
Although Smith only had one season with the Cubs, it was the historic 2016 campaign in which the team captured their first pennant in over a century.
In order to strengthen their bullpen heading into the stretch run, the Cubs traded prospect Jesus Castillo to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Smith on deadline day.
He had a 1-1 record and a 2.51 ERA in 16 games as a pitcher for the Cubs.
Unfortunately, Smith was unable to pitch in the postseason due to an injury that kept him out of action for the last month of the regular season. But for his time with the Cubs, he was given a World Series ring.
After Chicago, he moved on to Toronto, where he signed a one-year deal for the 2017 season.
Smith broke in with the New York Mets in 2007 and became a well-regarded right-handed reliever with a delivery that was between a sidearm and a submarine. It worked. Even though he was well-traveled he was always in demand. Along with the Mets, Angels, Cubs and Blue Jays, he also pitched for Cleveland, Houston, Seattle and Minnesota.
In his message, he expressed gratitude towards his spouse, Allie LaForce, a broadcaster for Turner Sports and CBS. In his professional career, he and his family made 29 moves, he mentioned.
His career record was 55-34 with a 3.14 ERA in 866 appearances. In six seasons, he had an ERA under 3.00, including four in a row from 2011 to 2014. With Houston in 2019, he achieved his lowest 1.80 ERA of his career.
He pitched 762.1 innings, struck out 666 batters, walked 254, and had 30 saves.
