Former Chicago Cubs Reliever, Part of Jeff Samardzija Trade, Retires from MLB

A Chicago Cubs reliever who was part of the 2014 team that won just 73 games under manager Rick Renteria retired this weekend.

Dan Straily, a right-handed pitcher who found his way to Chicago midway through the 2014 season, is done with Major League Baseball, as reported by Codify Baseball.

The 36-year-old Straily had not played in the Majors since 2019. He returned to the Cubs on a minor-league contract in 2024 but never pitched above Triple-A Iowa.

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He started the 2014 season with the Athletics, the team that drafted him and with which he made his MLB debut in 2012.

But, on July 4, 2014, he was part of a deal with the Cubs. Straily shortstop Addison Russell and outfielder Billy McKinney in a move to Chicago as the Athletics received pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel.

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Russell went on to become an All-Star with the Cubs in 2016 and was a part of their first World Series champion in more than 100 years. Straily, meanwhile, didn’t make it to the end of the 2014 season.

The right-hander pitched in seven games for the Cubs, including one start, as he went 0-1 with an 11.85 ERA. He struck out 13 and walked nine in 13.2 innings. He was optioned back to Triple-A Iowa after his one start against the New York Mets, a game in which he gave up seven runs in 5.1 innings.

That launched a journeyman career for Straily, who ended up throwing for six different teams. Chicago traded him in offseason for then-Houston center fielder Dexter Fowler, another piece of its 2016 World Series championship team.

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He enjoyed the most success with the Cincinnati Reds, where he landed in 2016, and with the Miami Marlins in 2017.

With the Reds in 2016 he became a full-time starting pitcher for the first time since 2013, when he went 10-8 with the Athletics. With the Reds he went 14-8 with a 3.76 ERA in 34 games (31 starts) with 162 strikeouts and 73 walks. Dubiously, he led the National League in home runs allowed with 31.

In 2017 he joined the Marlins in a trade for Luis Castillo, Austin Brice, and Isaiah White. With Miami he went 10-9 with a 4.26 ERA as he led the NL with 33 starts. He struck out 170 and walked 60.

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He also played for the Houston Astros and the Baltimore Orioles, the latter of which was his last season in the Majors in 2019.

After the Majors, he pitched in the KBO for the Lotte Giants two different times, spent time in Arizona’s minor league system and played for Diablos Rojos del México in the Mexican League earlier this year.

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