Chicago Cubs Hot Stove: Will the team check in on two former Yankees relievers?

In need of bullpen help, will the Chicago Cubs look to a pair of former New York Yankees relievers – both of whom have years of high-leverage experience?

When looking at the Chicago Cubs roster, a few things jump out right away. The starting rotation is set – with five established arms and a couple of backup options in-tow at this point. But its counterpart, the bullpen, needs more high-leverage arms in the worst way.

Right now, the three ‘go-to’ guys in the pen are Brandon Morrow, Pedro Strop and Carl Edwards Jr. And, based on how he pitched down the stretch, it’s pretty difficult to include Edwards on a ‘go-to’ list of any variety. But, for argument sake, we’ll keep him on it for now.

Not a bad trio to hand the ball to late in a ballgame. Strop has proven himself to be one of the most reliably consistent relievers in Cubs history since coming over in the Jake Arrieta deal. Morrow, while dominant, has plenty of health and injury concerns – especially in the wake of him missing the entire second half of 2018.

What do all three of these guys have in common, though? They’re all right-handed. Chicago lost Justin Wilson, their primary late-inning lefty to free agency (although he could re-sign with the Cubs this winter). So adding a southpaw – and another veteran arm to the mix – should be a priority. Could the team check in on two free agents who spent 2018 with the New York Yankees?

Chicago Cubs: Britton needs to be a priority for the front office

When it comes to Zach Britton, everyone needs to understand. He will never be what he was in his historic 2016 campaign – ever. Accept that and move on with that knowledge under your cap.

He pitched to a 0.54 ERA and 1.94 FIP in 69 appearances for the Baltimore Orioles, marking his second consecutive campaign finishing 58 or more games. Britton finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting and 11th in AL MVP balloting after his outstanding campaign.

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Since then, he hasn’t been quite as dominant – but remains an effective left-handed option. After spending 2017 in Baltimore (38 appearances, 2.89 ERA) – some started to question his reliability. His strikeout-to-walk rate plummeted from 5.64 in 2015 all the way to 1.61 in 2017). Then, last year, he joined the Yankees in a midseason trade.

Pitching in the Bronx, he made 25 appearances, pitching to a 1.160 WHIP, 4.08 FIP and 2.88 ERA. He still struggled with command – walking four batters per nine. That marked an improvement over his first-half numbers with the O’s, where he issued just under a half-dozen free passes per nine.

So, he’s clearly not an elite shutdown guy at this point. But if you’re Theo Epstein, you hope that some mechanical tweaks can help him control the walks should he land in Chicago. And that very same troubling walk rate may help control his asking power on the open market this winter.

Chicago Cubs: Robertson could help Cubs form elite relief corps

Let’s look at the big picture and where David Robertson could slot into a hypothetical Cubs bullpen.  You’ve got Morrow, Edwards and Strop. Don’t sleep on guys like Steve Cishek, Randy Rosario or Brian Duensing, either.

Assume Morrow takes the ninth again come spring. Strop and Edwards are clearly your seventh or eighth-inning options. Cishek is a jack-of-all-trades fireman who quickly became Joe Maddon‘s go-to in pressure-packed situations last year. Robertson could fill a similar role, helping bridge the gap to the late-inning guys like Strop and Morrow.

Last season, Robertson limited left-handed opponents to a .178 average. Getting him into a clean inning was a sure-fire recipe for success, as he pitched to a 0.25 ERA across 36 1/3 innings with no men on base.

He was particularly sharp in the seventh inning, where he could pitch for Chicago. He pitched to a 1.52 ERA and 0.930 WHIP in that frame. Having Robertson paired with Cishek gives Maddon two go-to options, both capable of handling the high-leverage moments in big ballgames.