Patience could help the Chicago Cubs grab these 5 pitchers in free agency

Chicago Cubs: Worth waiting to spend big bucks on – #4: Jose Berrios

I really like the idea of the Cubs saving some of that bankroll for a guy like Jose Berrios in 2023. Berrios had spent his entire career with the Minnesota Twins up until being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays this season at the trade deadline. In Minnesota, he went 55-43 and had a career ERA there of 4.07. That mark is mainly due to struggling his first year in the bigs with an 8.02 ERA in 2016.

Since then, Berrios is another guy who, like Clevinger, who has gotten better since this rookie season. In 2017, 2018 and 2019 he went 3.89, 3.84, 3.69 ERA and compiled winning seasons in all three years. In 2020, he also posted a winning year in a shorted season, going 5-4, but his ERA dipped a little back to 4.00 even.

Fast forward to this season, and Berrios started hot with Minnesota, going 7-5 with a 3.48 ERA, 9.3 strikeouts per nine and a 3.58 FIP. As previously stated, he was traded to Toronto at the trade deadline where he has since gone 1-1 with a 3.80 ERA in a small sample size. On the year, he has pitched 143 innings and is on pace for most likely around the 170 range. That would only be third best for his career as he has posted 192 1/3 and 200 1/3 in 2018 and 2019, respectively. For 2021 between two teams he sits with a 3.52 ERA

A good word to describe Berrios is consistent. You love to see him keep his ERA in the mid-3.00s which isn’t quite elite but it’s definitely better than average. He is somebody that you can slide into the three spot in your starting rotation and depend on to get you 170-200 innings. The Chicago Cubs can definitely use one of those. He is a good name to keep an eye on to see how he performs. He is currently in his second year of arbitration, earning $5.6 million.