With the news that the Tigers awarded the fifth starter job to Rick Porcello on Tuesday, many Fantasy players started discarding their Drew Smylys left and right, as the 23-year-old will be heading to the bullpen. I disagree with this.
Smyly is a hard-throwing lefty who went 5-0 with a 3.66 ERA and 1.02 WHIP this spring, while striking out 31 batters in 39 1/3 innings. He did nothing to lose the job, but got squeezed out thanks to a numbers game and the spring emergence of Porcello. Smyly will not be in middle relief for the entire season. If he's stuck in the bullpen, he will be at the very top of the list of Tigers who could supplant Bruce Rondon as the closer. And if something happens to a starter, Smyly steps in and becomes a great source of strikeouts, ERA, and especially WHIP.
Smyly has essentially become what Aroldis Chapman was at this point last season -- a talented lefty relegated to middle relief, who will undoubtedly emerge as either a starter or closer by June. Either way, now is the time to pick Smyly up, not drop him.