Cubs Rumors: Three bullpen targets in free agency

Chicago Cubs: Tyler Clippard still has something left in the tank

Tyler Clippard might be a somewhat forgotten name among baseball fans.

The 35-year-old made a pair of All-Star teams as a member of the Washington Nationals, but he bounced around with six different teams after leaving the Nats. Clippard eventually landed with the Cleveland Indians in 2019 before pitching for the Minnesota Twins this past season.

Clippard showed he is more than capable of throwing in leveraged situations. The veteran right-hander had a 2.90 ERA in 62 innings with the Indians, and this past season had a 2.77 ERA and 2.65 FIP for the Twins.

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The most encouraging part of Clippard’s recent run is a decline in walk rate, which fell to 1.4 per nine innings in 2020. He also induces soft contact.

Clippard ranked in the 92nd percentile in hard-hit rate, per Baseball Savant, and he also struck out 9.0 per nine innings for the second consecutive year.

What Clippard lacks in velocity he makes up for with a five-pitch arsenal that includes an excellent split-finger fastball. The use of his splitter and changeup also keeps hitters off-balance against the four-seamer, much like Kyle Hendricks does for the Cubs.

The Twins could look to re-sign Clippard, and they are armed with payroll flexibility. But he is unlikely to command more than a one- or two-year deal, which should give the Cubs a window.

Chicago Cubs: Keone Kela has appealing strikeout stuff

Whereas Clippard uses finesse to get outs, right-hander Keone Kela boasts some powerful stuff.

Kela’s fastball reaches into the upper-90s, and he compliments the heat with a hard-biting breaking ball that drops off the table.

The 27-year-old is striking out 11 opponents per nine innings for his career, and he has traditionally maintained a strong homer rate. This could make him the kind of arm the Cubs would covet.

Chicago’s other power pitchers in the bullpen have plenty of velocity but also succumbed to the long ball quite often in 2020. The Cubs need guys who can keep things tight and get big strikeouts in key moments.

It would seem Kela could be this guy. There is reason to be concerned about his forearm issues, which limited him to just three appearances this year.

Kela misses bats and induces soft contact. The recent injuries might limit his market, but the Cubs should not be dissuaded from making overtures.

Chicago Cubs: Aaron Loup would add left-handed depth

One of the biggest problems as it related to the 2020 Cubs’ bullpen was the absence of a quality left-handed option.

Chicago acquired Andrew Chafin and Josh Osich at the trade deadline. But injury issues limited Chafin to just three innings, and Osich gave up three runs in just 2 2/3 innings of work.

The Cubs should get some lefty help next season from a healthy Brad Wieck. But they need more depth.

It is possible the Cubs could go after Tony Watson, but Aaron Loup could be a more realistic target. The San Francisco Giants might try to re-sign Watson, while the Tampa Bay Rays could let Loup walk given the arms they churn out in their system.

Loup had a 2.52 ERA in 25 innings this season. His career ERA and FIP numbers are nearly identical, and he has even more upside if he can regain some of the strikeout stuff he possessed in his last few seasons (2016-17) with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The 32-year-old is like Clippard in that he mixes pitches, and sets up his changeup as the primary “out” pitch. Loup also had a ground ball rate of at least 51 percent in both 2017 and 2018, something he can carry forward if he continues to establish the sinker and has more success with the curveball in keeping hitters guessing.

Loup is as good a target as any if the Cubs look to add some left-handed pitching.