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Chicago Cubs: Relief pitcher market beginning to thin out
Revamping the bullpen is going to be something the Chicago Cubs will want to address eventually, and they may have to get creative to do that.
The quiet offseason for the Chicago Cubs continues as the calendar flips over to 2019. While most of the big-name free agents are still on the board, a number of the middle-tier players (both arms and position guys) have been signing a bit more frequently. These are mainly bullpen and/or depth guys.
There have been some smaller moves for pitching depth, but nothing huge. Fact of the matter is, the Cubs are going to need to add more reliable bullpen arms sooner or later. There is not even a defined closer yet with Brandon Morrow opening the 2019 season on the DL. The only reliable arms currently are Pedro Strop and Steve Cishek, considering Carl Edwards Jr. struggled mightily down the stretch again after a fantastic start to 2018.
A few weeks ago we made a list of potential/affordable arms for the Cubs to explore, most of which have now signed with another team. The crop is thinning, and the Cubs have work to do.
Chicago Cubs: Remaining free agency options
There are still several guys on the market. Two of the biggest relievers? Zach Britton and Craig Kimbrel. Expect those guys to to earn a fat, multi-year deal. Both are now 30+ and still putting up good numbers for the most part.
Kimbrel sported a 2.74 ERA, 3.13 FIP and 13.9 K/9 with 42 saves in 2018. Britton. on the other hand, sported a 4.22 FIP and 1.23 WHIP despite a 3.10 ERA, so there is fear of steady decline with him, especially with recent injury issues. He’s clearly not the same guy he was just a few years ago.
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Right now, whether one may believe they need them badly or not, it is hard to see the Cubs shelling out a ton of money for either of these guys. Epstein may surprise the fan base but that seems unlikely.
Some of the safest bets on the market left are Adam Ottavino, who could come back to earth a bit after a career year in 2018 and Cody Allen, and even he is semi-questionable after a down year last year. Other guys like Kelvin Herrera, A.J. Ramos and Ryan Madson either struggled mightily last year or had season-ending surgery.
With all of this being said, it is worth noting that Epstein has found gold in a lot of rejected/older arms over the years, including guys like Clayton Richard, Trevor Cahill, Fernando Rodney, Jesse Chavez and Jorge De La Rosa.
The Cubs will probably bring in a few more veteran arms via free agency, and there are plenty of arms available not mentioned here. However, they still need more reliable guys and not just “low risk-high reward” signings.
Chicago Cubs: Which trade targets could be in play?
Relievers are dealt mainly at one time of year, the trade deadline. That is when their value is highest considering how fickle arms can be, contenders generally want to rely on arms that are good in-season and not base moves on what happened the year before. But trades involving relievers in the offseason do still happen.
One place that may be of interest is the San Francisco Giants. The Cubs and Giants had been linked in trade rumors and the Giants may consider selling some assets off and shedding salary while focusing long-term.
Tony Watson and Will Smith are some intriguing names. Watson, 32, has two years of control left and put up a 2.59 ERA, 2.45 FIP and 1.03 WHIP in 66 innings last year. Smith, 29, returned after missing 2017 and pitched to a 2.55 ERA, 2.07 FIP and 0.981 WHIP in 53 innings.
These are just a few names, there are other teams that are not looking like contenders who have interesting bullpen pieces. Who knows if the Giants will even want to/demand, just seems more likely considering their position than other teams. If Epstein wants to trade for some bullpen assets now, it may involve a position player swap or be part of a package deal.
Next. Holland could make sense at the right price. dark
Chances are he pulls off something. A few signings, a trade or just bringing in some no-name that may work out on a minor-league deal. Don’t be shocked if he checks more than one of those boxes before next spring. The bullpen, as currently constructed, cannot hold down the fort over a 162-game season – let alone a deep October run.