A member of the Chicago Cubs’ 2016 World Series championship team announced his retirement on Wednesday after 15 seasons in the Major Leagues.
Joe Smith, a long-time reliever who has played for eight different clubs and hasn’t pitched since 2022 with the Minnesota Twins, announced his retirement via Excel Sports Management.
Smith only played for the Cubs for one season, but it was a memorable one in which the Cubs won their first championship in almost a century.
The Cubs acquired Smith from the Los Angeles Angels in a deadline trade, trading a prospect, Jesus Castillo, to strengthen their bullpen for the stretch run.
He appeared in 16 games for the Cubs, going 1–1 with a 2.51 ERA.
Unfortunately, an injury led Smith to miss the last month of the regular season, and he was unable to throw in the playoffs. However, he got a World Series ring during his stint with the Cubs.
After Chicago, he went to Toronto, where he signed a one-year contract for the 2017 season.
Smith joined the New York Mets in 2007 and quickly established himself as a popular right-handed reliever with a delivery that resembled a sidearm and a submarine. It works. Despite his many travels, he was always in high demand. In addition to the Mets, Angels, Cubs, and Blue Jays, he has thrown for Cleveland, Houston, Seattle, and Minnesota.
In his statement, he praised his wife, CBS and Turner Sports broadcaster Allie LaForce. He mentioned that he and his family made 29 moves during his professional career.
In 866 career appearances, he was 55-34 with a 3.14 ERA. He had a sub-3.00 ERA in six seasons, including four straight from 2011 to 2014. In 2019, he had a career-low 1.80 ERA while at Houston.
He had 30 saves, pitched 762.1 innings, struck out 666, and walked 254.
