Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Wade Miley (22) throws a pitch in the first inning of the MLB baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Los Angeles Dodgers At Cincinnati Reds

The Chicago Cubs made a rather stunning move on Friday. Not as much stunning that they made the move once it became available, but more stunning that the opportunity was available at all.

Chicago claimed left-handed starting pitcher Wade Miley off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds.

Nobody saw this one coming.

Miley — who turns 35 on Nov. 13 — is coming off a 2021 season in which he had a 3.37 ERA in 167 innings, and that’s while pitching home games in an extremely hitter-friendly stadium at Great American Ball Park. He was worth 5.7 wins above replacement (WAR) per Baseball Reference, good for the fourth-best mark for pitchers in the National League. Miley’s 2021 season was the third time in four years that he put together a sub-4 ERA, and the only time he didn’t was a tiny 14 1/3-inning sample in 2020.

He even threw a no-hitter in May.

And the Reds decided he wasn’t worth paying $10 million over one season.

The Cubs have made it clear that they’re going to be aggressive for starting pitching help this offseason, and they surely didn’t expect Miley to fall into their lap at a bargain price just a few days after the season ended. And they steal a valuable piece from an NL Central rival team in the process.

For what it’s worth, the Reds claim that they tried to trade Miley and didn’t find any buyers.

And they claim that they will at least make a Qualifying Offer for free-agent bat Nick Castellanos.

Here’s a sampling of how the baseball world reacted to the Miley news:

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.