Braves ink Smyly to 1-year, $11M deal

The Atlanta Braves signed left-handed starter Drew Smyly to a one-year, $11-million contract, the team announced Monday.

"They're just built to win," Smyly - who grew up a Braves fan - said, according to Jessica Camerato of MLB.com. "Once I became a free agent, I was interested in the Braves right away. Once they expressed interest in me, it really kind of made my decision pretty easy."

Smyly, 31, spent the 2020 season with the San Francisco Giants, authoring a 3.42 ERA and 2.01 FIP in 26 1/3 innings across five starts and a pair of relief appearances.

For his career, the southpaw is 35-35 with a 4.13 ERA and 4.15 FIP.

Smyly will likely help fill the back end of the Braves' rotation behind Max Fried, Mike Soroka, and Ian Anderson. However, with Kyle Wright and Bryse Wilson potentially in line for starts, Smyly could also be used as a swingman, much like Josh Tomlin, who re-signed with Atlanta last week.