Cubs reunite with former bullpen arm after Angels' experiment goes awry

The Chicago Cubs are turning to a familiar face as they look to add some needed pitching depth into the organization. Hidden in the Cubs' transaction log is that the team has signed Drew Pomeranz to a minor-league deal.

Pomeranz was one of the bullpen success stories for the Cubs last season, posting a 2.17 ERA in 57 appearances. He was striking out over 28% of the hitters he faced, and walking less than 8%. His 3.36 FIP suggested he was due for some regression, but he had enough success to land a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

While the Cubs found their success with Pomeranz while playing the matchup game, the Angels had hopes of the veteran being a high-leverage option out of their bullpen this season. That experiment didn't quite work. Pomeranz posted a 5.01 ERA in 25 appearances with LA, and was eventually designated for assignment.

There wasn't much that went right for Pomeranz during his stop with the Angels. His FIP was 6.32, his strikeout rate dipped to 14.8%, and he was walking over 11% of the hitters he faced. Looking at his pitch values, there was a notable change with his fastball, having a FanGraphs' value of -2.6 runs above average. Last year, it was at 11.6.

Cubs will need to work their magic with Drew Pomeranz once again

The Angels have a checkered past when it comes to pitcher development. There usually is a dip in metrics for veteran pitchers when they start pitching in LA. Combine that with the regression that was inevitable for the 37-year-old, and it's no real surprise that things didn't work out on the West Cost for the veteran.

Pomeranz's first stop as he returns to the Cubs will likely be at the team's pitch lab in Arizona. It's currently where fellow veteran relievers, Aaron Bummer and Liam Hendriks, are working before being assigned to an affiliate. The Cubs likely will want to see if they can once again unlock the version of Pomeranz that had success last year.

The hope is that someone from the group of Pomeranz, Bummer, and Hendriks can become an option for the bullpen by the end of July. Even with the trade for David Peterson, the Cubs need several more additions before their pitching staff is stable.

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