Cubs and Twins Gamble on Tommy John Recipients Smyly and Pineda
The Cubs signed Drew Smyly to a two-year contract, while the Twins signed Michael Pineda to the same deal. Both had mid-2017 season surgeries to replace their UCL (Tommy John surgery) and will be non-factors for the 2018 season.While 12 months may have once been the historic recovery time, it’s not anymore. The recent timeline shows that pitchers return at 14+ months.Both pitchers may return in August, at the earliest. Additionally, there is about a 15% chance that either one doesn’t make it back to the majors.…