Cubs Acquire Joe Smith in Trade With Angels

The Chicago Cubs have been one of the most active teams on the trade market this month, and they added one more bullpen arm to the mix as they acquired reliever Joe Smith from the Los Angeles Angels.

The deal was first reported by ESPN's Buster Olney and confirmed by Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

In the trade, the Cubs sent pitching prospect Jesus Castillo to the Angels. At Class-A Eugene this season, Castillo has a 2-3 record with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 33 innings of work for the Emeralds.

Smith has a 1-4 record with a 3.82 ERA and six saves for the Angels so far this season. The right-handed reliever will likely serve as an insurance arm along with Mike Montgomery for the Cubs, who also acquired closer Aroldis Chapman to help boost their bullpen.

The bigger question for the Cubs now is where exactly Smith will fit in. As a right-handed specialist (who induces ground balls nearly 61 percent of the time against right-handed batters), he could conceivably replace Justin Grimm in the bullpen.

The other potential option could see a player like Trevor Cahill, who is currently on the disabled list, stretched out in the minors and given a spot start or two in the majors to help rest the team's pitching staff. The Cubs have shown a willingness to do so already, as both Adam Warren (since traded to the Yankees) and Brian Matusz (released on Monday by the Cubs) have made starts to rest the other five guys already this year.

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