The Chicago Cubs should consider reunion with Pedro Strop

Is a reunion with a familiar face in order following another Cubs bullpen implosion Wednesday evening?

It has not been an excellent week for the Chicago Cubs who enter Thursday having lost their previous two series. Struggles have been scattered across the diamond resulting in their first-place lead shrinking before their very eyes.

Before their 7-6 loss at the hands of Detroit, the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers opted to boycott their game. Major League Baseball wasn’t the only professional sports organization participating in sitting out as the NBA did so during their playoff tree.

While Jason Heyward sat out with the support of his teammates, the Cubs had themselves an early two-run lead. Southpaw Jon Lester was in line for the win, having allowed one earned run in five innings pitched.

However, Chicago’s bullpen would surprisingly let another lead slip away, allowing the Tigers to score five runs in the sixth. Both relievers Rowan Wick and Ryan Tepera combined for five earned runs on seven hits in the loss.

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For Wick, 27, his earned run average swelled to five while Tepera sits at 4.63 on the year. It’s obvious the Cubs are wanting to add help to their bullpen with the trade deadline approaching.

Currently, Jeremy Jefferies has been the Chicago Cubs’ only reliable bullpen arm. He has surrendered two earned runs in 12 1/3 innings of work, carrying an ERA of 1.46. Having only one guy who can come in to prevent teams from scoring runs will hurt this team’s playoff chances.

Considering how things look, a reunion with a veteran reliever should be a possibility. Former Cub Pedro Strop has reportedly been designated for assignment by the Reds on Wednesday.

On February 5, Strop ended his tenure by signing a one-year, $1.8 million deal with Cincinnati. In 2019, Pedro turned in his worst performance as a big-league pitcher, posting an ERA of 4.97 in 50 appearances.

While as a member of the Reds, the 35-year-old took the mound only four times — once against the Cubs on July 28. Despite coming off a right-groin injury, re-acquiring Strop’s services might do him some good. Especially with how poorly Craig Kimbrel has started things off.

With Strop back in the pen, he would give skipper David Ross a reliable option to setup Jefferies rather than having him eat six-outs. This bullpen needs to be shaken up in a big way. A move involving Strop could be a step in the right direction.