Chicago Cubs: Saying goodbye to familiar faces

Chicago Cubs: A trio of Cubs lost to free agency

The Cubs’ bullpen took a significant hit as a trio of veteran Cubs setup men hit the open market. That trio happens to be Pedro Strop, Steve Cishek and Brandon Kintzler. Strop spent seven years in the Cubs organization as he could close out the game or step in the middle or late innings and help the Cubs.

Although the 2019 season wasn’t his best as he went 2-5 on the season, he did do great when he was a part of the Cubs in that magical 2016 season. Strop, however, did sign with a central division rival the Reds in late January in which added to the Cub’s bullpen problems.

Cishek came to the Cubs back in 2018. Like Hamels, he only spent two seasons in Chicago, but he was a great option to have in the bullpen. His 8-9 record the past seasons doesn’t look good on paper, but its what he did during the late parts of games that helped Cubs escaped close calls.

His 2.55 ERA with Chicago was excellent as he struck out most to the batters he faced. Cishek signed a one-year deal with our crosstown rival, the White Sox.

Like Cishek, Kintzler was another option in the bullpen for the Cubs. Kintzler this past season pitched in 62 games, which gave him an even 3-3 record and a 2.68 ERA, which improved from the previous 7.00 ERA. Kintzler signed with the Marlins also in late January.